Population 28 million +. Kabul population is 3 million, up from 500,000 in Taliban era.
Ethnicities/Religions Pashtun 42%; Tajik 27%; Uzbek 9%; Hazara 9%; Aimak 4%; Turkmen 3%; Baluch 2%.
Size of Religious
Minorities
Religions: Sunni (Hanafi school) 80%; Shiite (Hazaras, Qizilbash, and Isma’ilis) 19%;
other 1%Christians-estimated 500-8,000 persons; Sikh and Hindu-3,000 persons;
Bahai’s-400 (declared blasphemous in May 2007); Jews-1 person; Buddhist- small
numbers, mostly foreigners. No Christian or Jewish schools. One church.
Literacy Rate 28% of population over 15 years of age. 43% of males; 12.6% of females.
GDP and Growth Rates
(2010)
$29.8 billion purchasing power parity (PPP). 109th in the world. Per capita: $1,000
purchasing power parity. 212th in the world. Growth: about 9% for 2010 and expected
for 2011. GDP was about $10 billion (PPP) during last year of Taliban rule.
Unemployment Rate 40%
Children in
School/Schools Built
since 2002
7.1 million, of which 40% are girls. Up from 900,000 boys in school during Taliban era.
4,000 schools built (all donors) and 140,000 teachers hired since Taliban era. 17
universities, up from 2 in 2002. 75,000 Afghans in universities in Afghanistan; 5,000
when Taliban was in power. 35% of university students in Afghanistan are female.
Afghans With Access to
Health Coverage
65% with basic health services access-compared to 8% during Taliban era. Infant
mortality down 22% since Taliban to 135 per 1,000 live births. 680 clinics built .
Roads Built About 2,500 miles paved post-Taliban, including repaving of “Ring Road” (78%
complete) that circles the country. Kabul-Qandahar drive reduced to 6 hours.
Judges/Courts Over 1,000 judges (incl. 200 women) trained since fall of Taliban.
Banks Operating 17, including branches in some rural areas, but about 90% of the population still use
hawalas (informal money transfer services). Zero banks existed during Taliban era.
Some limited credit card use. Some Afghan police now paid by cell phone (E-Paisa).
Access to Electricity 15%-20% of the population. Much of its electricity imported from neighboring states.
Government Revenues
(excl. donor funds)
About $1.7 billion in 2010; more than double the $720 million 2007. Total Afghan
budget is about $4.5 billion (including development funds)—shortfall covered by
foreign donors, including through Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund.
Financial Reserves/Debt About $4.4 billion, up from $180 million in 2002. Includes amounts due Central Bank.
$8 billion bilateral debt, plus $500 million multilateral. U.S. forgave $108 million in
debt in 2004, and $1.6 billion forgiven by other creditors in March 2010.
Foreign/Private
Investment
About $500 million to $1 billion per year. Four Afghan airlines: Ariana (national) plus
three privately owned: Safi, Kam, and Pamir.
Mining/Minerals Vast untapped minerals affirmed by U.S. experts (June 2010). Chinese firm mining
copper in Lowgar Province. December 2010: contracts let to produce oil in Sar-I-Pol
Province (north) and for private investors to mine gold in Baghlan Province.
Legal Exports/
Agriculture
80% of the population is involved in agriculture. Self-sufficiency in wheat production as
of May 2009 (first time in 30 years). Exports: $403 million (2009): fruits, raisins,
melons, pomegranate juice (Anar), nuts, carpets, lapis lazuli gems, marble tile, timber
products (Kunar, Nuristan provinces). July 2010 Afghanistan-Pakistan trade agreement.
Imports Imports: $3.4 billion (2009): food, energy, capital goods, textiles, autos. Top five
trading partners (in descending order): Pakistan, Russia, Iran, India, United States.
Oil Proven Reserves 3.6 billion barrels of oil, 36.5 trillion cubic feet of gas. Current oil production
negligible, but USAID funding project to revive oil and gas facilities in the north.
Cellphones/Tourism About 6.5 million cellphone subscribers, up from neglibile amounts during Taliban era.
Tourism: National park opened in Bamiyan June 2009. Increasing tourist visits.
Sources: CIA, The World Factbook; various press and U.S. government official testimony.
