Page last modified 19 August 2023
Afghanistan
Community
Area 652,230 square kilometres (land area 652,230 square kilometres)
Population, change on previous decade.
Due to political instability, population figures are estimates only.
5,000,000
(1900)
7,000,000
(1938)
8,150,000
(1950)
9,000,000
(1960) +10.4%
11,126,000
(1970) +23.6%
13,250,000
(1980) +19.1%
12,250,000
(1990)* -7.8%
20,800,000
(2000) +69.8%
29,200,000
(2010) +40.4%
38,928,000
(2020) +33.3%
* The population fell considerably after 1979; Many Afghans fled abroad or were killed in warfare.
Ethnicity, %
|
Year |
Hazara |
Pashtun |
Tajik |
Uzbek |
|
1950 estimate |
3.3 |
60.5 |
30.7 |
5.0 |
|
1978 estimate |
9.0 |
50.0 |
25.0 |
9.0 |
|
2000 estimate |
19.0 |
38.0 |
25.0 |
18.0 |
|
2013 estimate |
9.0 |
42.0 |
27.0 |
9.0 |
Refugee numbers
In 2002 an estimated 4 million Afghans had sought refuge outside Afghanistan; the majority in Pakistan (2 million) and Iran (1.5 million).� A further 1.2 million Afghans were internally displaced within their country.� From 2002 the USA began an initiative� to persuade Afghans abroad to return; an estimated 1.6 million have gone back to Afghanistan since then.
Religion %,
|
|
Hindu |
Islam Shia |
Islam Sunni |
|
1900 |
0.1 |
99.5 All Islam |
|
|
1970 |
0.6 |
99.3 All Islam |
|
|
1990 |
|
74.0 |
25.0 |
|
2000 |
|
84.0 |
15.0 |
|
2009 |
|
80.0 |
19.0 |
|
2013 |
|
87.0 |
12.0 |
Birth and death rates
|
|
Fertility Rate |
Birth Rate |
Infant Mortality |
Death Rate |
% Aged Under 15 |
% Aged Over 65 |
% Urban |
|
1950 |
|
48.0 (+16.0) |
227.0 |
32.0 |
46.4 |
1.9 |
5.8 |
|
1960 |
7.5 |
53.0 (+20.6) |
245.7 |
32.4 |
42.1 |
2.8 |
8.2 |
|
1970 |
7.1 |
52.0 (+24.4) |
204.8 |
27.6 |
44.2 |
2.6 |
11.5 |
|
1980 |
7.7 |
52.0 (+29.7) |
163.0 |
22.3 |
45.9 |
2.4 |
15.7 |
|
1990 |
8.0 |
52.0 (+36.4) |
120.2 |
15.6 |
48.0 |
2.2 |
18.3 |
|
2000 |
7.7 |
51.0 (+39.0) |
90.8 |
12.0 |
48.6 |
2.2 |
21.3 |
|
2010 |
6.3 |
44.4 (+36.3) |
65.7 |
8.1 |
47.8 |
2.3 |
24.7 |
|
2015 |
4.8 |
34.0 (+27.1) |
54.9 |
6.9 |
44.8 |
2.5 |
24.8 |
|
2017 |
4.6 |
33.2 (+26.6) |
49.5 |
6.6 |
43.7 |
|
25.3 |
|
2018 |
|
|
47.9 |
|
43.1 |
2.6 |
25.5 |
Life expectancy,
31.5 (1950); 31.0(M), 32.0(F)
32.3 (1960); 31.6 (M), 33.1 (F)
36.7 (1970); 35.9(M), 37.5 (F)
41.9 (1980); 41.1 (M), 42.7 (F)
49.9 (1990); 48.9 (M), 50.9 (F)
55.5 (2000); 54.4 (M), 56.7 (F)
61.2 (2010); 60.0 (M), 62.4 (F)
65.0 (2020); 63.5 (M), 66.5 (F)
Population of principal cities, 1,000s
|
|
Herat |
KABUL1 |
Kandahar2 |
Mazar I Sherif |
|
1850 |
|
60 |
|
|
|
1880 |
|
75 |
|
|
|
1900 |
12 |
140 |
30 |
|
|
1937 |
50 |
|
55 |
30 |
|
1948 |
76 |
206 |
77 |
42 |
|
1950 |
|
307 |
|
|
|
1965 |
62 |
435 |
115 |
40 |
|
1975 |
109 |
749 |
140 |
60 |
|
1980 |
155 |
1,000 |
180 |
105 |
|
1990 |
187 |
1,565 |
238 |
128 |
|
2000 |
|
2,500 |
300 |
170 |
|
2006 |
397 |
|
325 |
375 |
|
2010 |
|
3,300 |
480 |
|
|
2013 |
436 |
|
500 |
|
|
2015 |
|
4,000 |
|
693 |
1Kabul has existed for some 3,000 years.� Its name means �warehouse� in Persian. Between 1504 and 1526 Kabul was the capital of the Mogul Empire.� In 1800 Kabul replaced Kandahar as capital of Afghanistan.
2Kandahar is named after Alexander the Great (Iskandar) who invaded the area in 330 BC.� Like later foreign occupiers of Afghanistan, he failed to secure lasting success there.� When Afghanistan became independent in 1747, Kandahar became the capital.
Wealth; Gross Domestic Product (nominal values)
|
|
GDP, US$ million |
Total GDP, % of USA |
GDP per capita, US$ |
GDP per capita % of USA |
|
1958 |
649 |
|
|
|
|
1960 |
|
|
60 |
2.00 |
|
1965 |
|
|
101 |
2.64 |
|
1970 |
|
|
157 |
2.99 |
|
1980 |
|
|
275 |
2.18 |
|
1985 |
3,300 |
0.08 |
|
|
|
1990 |
|
|
250 |
1.04 |
|
1995 |
5,500 |
0.07 |
|
|
|
2000 |
|
|
260 |
0.71 |
|
2005 |
7,200 |
0.05 |
250 |
0.56 |
|
2010 |
15,160 |
0.10 |
553 |
1.14 |
|
2015 |
19,703 |
0.11 |
585 |
1.04 |
|
2016 |
19,469 |
0.10 |
562 |
0.98 |
GDP by primary sector
|
|
Agriculture % GDP |
Agriculture % employed |
Industry % GDP |
Industry % employed |
Services % GDP |
Services % employed |
|
1960 |
|
85.0 |
|
6.0 |
|
9.0 |
|
1980 |
50.0 |
79.0 |
18.0 |
8.0 |
|
13.0 |
|
1988 |
|
|
|
|
13.3 |
11.0 |
|
1995 |
52.0 |
|
|
|
16.0 |
|
|
2002 |
49.1 |
|
19.8 |
|
29.7 |
|
|
2008 |
31.0 |
73.6 |
26.0 |
5.7 |
43.0 |
15.7 |
|
2012 |
25.0 |
|
21.0 |
|
54.0 |
|
|
2015 |
22.0 |
|
22.0 |
|
56.0 |
|
Communications
Language, % �Official; Iranian (Daro) and Pashtun. Turkmen, Uzbek, also spoken.
|
|
Persian(Dari) |
Pashtu |
Turkic |
Other |
|
1980 |
|
56.0 |
|
|
|
2000 |
50.0 |
35.0 |
11.0 |
4.0 |
Literacy
8.0% (1960)
12.0% (1975)
20.0% (1980); 33.2% (M), 5.8% (F)
23.5% (1985); 39.0% (M), 8.0% (F)
31.5% (1995); 46.2% (M), 16.1% (F)
28.1% (2004); 43.1% (M), 12.6% (F)
38.2% (2015); 52.0% (M), 24.2% (F)
Physical communications � roads,
In 1993 women were banned from driving, but this ban was rescinded in 2003.
|
|
Roads (km) |
Surfaced (km) |
Motor vehicles |
Cars |
Commercial Vehicles |
|
1946 |
6,700 |
|
|
|
|
|
1950 |
9,500 |
|
5,200 |
975 |
3,375 |
|
1957 |
|
|
|
2,473 |
|
|
1960 |
|
|
|
|
5,522 |
|
1964 |
|
|
20,000 |
|
|
|
1977 |
18,580 |
|
|
|
|
|
1978 |
|
|
|
26,000 |
26,700 |
|
1982 |
|
2,600 |
|
|
|
|
1988 |
|
|
50,000 |
25,000 |
|
|
2001 |
20,720 |
3,120 |
|
33,500 |
26,500 |
|
2005 |
30,000 |
|
910,000 |
|
|
|
2010 |
42,150 |
12,350 |
1,240,000 |
|
|
|
2013 |
|
|
1,543,000 |
655,350 |
|
Railways; Afghan governments of the 19th century discouraged rail construction within the country in case this facilitated invasions. In the 1920s a short (7 km) tramway was opened in Kabul; it closed in the 1940s. Currently (2017) there is a 15km section of line from the Uzbek border to the Afghan town of Kheyrabad; also a 10km line from the Turkmen border to the Afghan town of Torghundi. In 2012 a 12km line opened from the Pakistan border to the Afghan town of Spin Boldak.
Planned railway links; Cross border links from Tajikistan and Iran into Afghanistan are also planned or under construction (2017). These lines may be linked up to create rail corridors across Afghanistan, and link India to Iran by rail. These will all be goods line with no passenger service envisaged as yet.
Electronic communications TV broadcasting began 1964
|
|
Telephones (landlines) |
Mobile Telephones |
Radios |
Televisions |
PCs |
Internet Users |
|
1938 |
|
|
1,000 |
|
|
|
|
1949 |
|
|
4,900 |
|
|
|
|
1950 |
3,900 |
|
8,000 |
|
|
|
|
1960 |
7,500 |
|
24,000 |
|
|
|
|
1976 |
|
|
900,000 |
|
|
|
|
1978 |
23,200 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1979 |
|
|
|
20,000 |
|
|
|
1980 |
25,800 |
|
1,000,000 |
35,000 |
|
|
|
1990 |
36,200 |
|
1,720,000 |
137,000 |
|
|
|
2000 |
29,200 |
|
2,950,000 |
|
|
1,000 |
|
2002 |
|
12,200 |
|
312,000 |
|
|
|
2005 |
|
1,200,000 |
|
|
|
30,000 |
|
2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
500,000 |
|
2010 |
|
13,000,000 |
|
|
|
1,100,000 |
|
2012 |
13,500 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2016 |
|
21,603,000 |
|
|
|
3,532,000 |
Tourism: Visitors to Afghanistan, Since 2000, only a few hundred tourists a year visit Afghanistan.
96,222 (1773)
250,000 (1977)
9,200 (1981)
9,000 (1987)
4,000 (1996)
4,000 (1998)