Factbook dossier
Background
Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian Empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in increased democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 communist countercoup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan communist regime, touching off a long and destructive war. Internationally supported anti-communist mujahidin rebels forced the USSR to withdraw in 1989. A series of subsequent civil wars saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, a US and Allied military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Usama BIN LADIN. A UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001 established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution, a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005. In 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan, and he was reelected in 2009. Ashraf Ghani AHMADZAI succeeded him as president in 2014 following a disputed election. The Taliban conducted an insurgency for two decades against the Afghan Government and forces from the United States and other countries. In February 2020, the US and the Taliban signed an agreement that led to the withdrawal of international forces in exchange for commitments on counterterrorism and other assurances. The Taliban took over Afghanistan on 15 August 2021. The Taliban establis…
Location
Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
Area
total : 652,230 sq km land: 652,230 sq km water: 0 sq km
Natural resources
natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones, arable land
Natural hazards
damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts
Population
total: 49,474,805 (2025 est.) male: 25,051,967 female: 24,422,838
Ethnic groups
current, reliable statistical data on ethnicity in Afghanistan are not available; Afghanistan's 2004 Constitution cited Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, Turkman, Baluch, Pashaie, Nuristani, Aymaq, Arab, Qirghiz, Qizilbash, Gujur, and Brahwui ethnicities; Afghanistan has dozens of other small ethnic groups
Languages
Afghan Persian or Dari (official, lingua franca) 77%, Pashto (official) 48%, Uzbeki 11%, English 6%, Turkmani 3%, Urdu 3%, Pashaie 1%, Nuristani 1%, Arabic 1%, Balochi 1%, other 1% (2020 est.) major-language sample(s): کتاب حقایق جهان، مرجعی ضروری برای اطلاعات اولیە (Dari) د دنیا د حقائېقو کتاب، بنیادی معلوماتو لپاره ضروری سرچینه- (Pashto) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. note 1: percentages sum to more than 100% because many people are multilingual note 2: Uzbeki, Turkmani, Pashaie, Nuristani, Balochi, and Pamiri are the third official languages in areas where the majority speaks them
Religions
Muslim 99.7% (Sunni 84.7 - 89.7%, Shia 10 - 15%), other 0.3% (2009 est.)
Environmental issues
limited natural freshwater resources; inadequate potable water; soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (cut down for fuel and building materials); desertification; air and water pollution in urban areas
Government type
theocratic; the United States does not recognize the Taliban Government
Capital
name: Kabul geographic coordinates: 34 31 N, 69 11 E time difference: UTC+4.5 (9.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: does not observe daylight savings time etymology: named for the Kabul River, but the river's name is of unknown origin
Executive branch
chief of state: Taliban Leader HAYBATULLAH Akhundzada (since 15 August 2021) head of government: overall Taliban Leader HAYBATULLAH Akhundzada is the [so-called] Amir-ul Momineen of the Taliban and is effectively the head of government cabinet: the Taliban have announced a cabinet for the caretaker government, including the acting prime minister, acting deputy prime ministers, and ministers who claim to represent 26 ministries election/appointment process: the 2004 Afghan constitution directed that the president should be elected by majority popular vote for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); the Taliban have given no indication that they intend to reinstate elections or any other mechanism of democratic governance most recent election date: 28 September 2019 note: the United States has not yet made a decision whether to recognize the Taliban or any other entity as the government of Afghanistan
Legislative branch
note: Afghanistan s bicameral National Assembly consisted of the House of Elders and House of the People but was dissolved after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$82.238 billion (2023 est.) $80.416 billion (2022 est.) $85.768 billion (2021 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Real GDP per capita
$2,000 (2023 est.) $2,000 (2022 est.) $2,100 (2021 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
-6.6% (2024 est.) -4.6% (2023 est.) 13.7% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Exports - partners
Pakistan 42%, India 40%, China 4%, UAE 2%, Turkey 2% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Imports - partners
UAE 28%, Pakistan 15%, China 15%, Uzbekistan 12%, Kazakhstan 9% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Military and security forces
the Taliban claims authority over a Ministry of Defense and a National Army (aka Army of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Islamic Emirate Army, or Afghan Army); it has also formed police forces under a Ministry of Interior (2025)
Military expenditures
3.3% of GDP (2019) 3.2% of GDP (2018) 3.3% of GDP (2017) 3.1% of GDP (2016) 2.9% of GDP (2015)