People and Society of Afghanistan

Afghanistan has one of the youngest and fastest-growing populations in the world, with an estimated population of approximately 41–43 million people as of the mid-2020s. The population is characterized by a high fertility rate, historically around 4.5 to 5 births per woman, though ongoing conflict, displacement, and deteriorating healthcare access continue to affect demographic trends. Life expectancy at birth hovers around 63–65 years, reflecting persistent challenges in healthcare infrastructure, nutrition, and security. The country is ethnically diverse, with Pashtuns forming the largest group at roughly 42 percent of the population. Tajiks account for approximately 27 percent, Hazaras around 9 percent, and Uzbeks roughly 9 percent, with smaller communities of Aimaks, Turkmens, Balochs, and others making up the remainder. This ethnic diversity is closely tied to linguistic diversity: Dari (a variety of Persian) and Pashto are both official languages and are spoken as first languages by the majority of the population. Afghanistan remains overwhelmingly rural, with only about 26–30 percent of the population living in urban areas. Kabul is by far the largest city, with a metropolitan population exceeding 4 million, followed by Kandahar, Herat, and Mazar-i-Sharif. Decades of conflict have driven massive internal and external displacement, with millions of Afghans living as refugees or displaced persons in Pakistan, Iran, and elsewhere. The collapse of the internationally recognized government in August 2021 triggered a new wave of displacement and emigration. The population is predominantly Muslim, with Sunni Islam practiced by an estimated 80–90 percent of the population and Shia Islam followed by roughly 10–15 percent, primarily among the Hazara and some other communities. Literacy rates remain among the lowest in the world, particularly for women. Male literacy stands at roughly 55 percent, while female literacy has historically lagged significantly behind, though gains were made between 2000 and 2021. Since the Taliban's return to power, restrictions on girls' education beyond sixth grade have threatened to reverse those improvements substantially.

Nationality

noun: Afghan(s) adjective: Afghan

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

Population

29,121,286

Population (Male / Female)

male: 20,301,066 female: 19,820,486

Population Distribution

populations tend to cluster in the foothills and periphery of the rugged Hindu Kush range; smaller groups are found in many of the country's interior valleys; in general, the east is more densely settled, while the south is sparsely populated

Urban Population

urban population: 26.9% of total population rate of urbanization: 3.34% annual rate of change

Population in Major Urban Areas

4.589 million KABUL (capital)

Age Structure

0-14 years: 39.6% (male 8,062,407/female 7,818,897) 15-64 years: 57.5% (male 11,702,734/female 11,372,249) 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 535,925/female 629,340)

Median Age

total: 20 years male: 20 years female: 20.1 years

Sex Ratio at Birth

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female

Well-equipped medical facilities are few and far between throughout Afghanistan. European and American medicines are available in limited quantities and may be expensive or difficult to locate. There is a shortage of basic medical supplies. Basic medicines manufactured in Iran, Pakistan, China and India are available, but their reliability can be questionable. Several Western-style private clinics have opened in Kabul: the DK-German Medical Diagnostic Center (ph. 079-913-6210),French Children”™s Hospital (ph. 020-250-0531),and CURE International Hospital (ph. 079-988-3830) offer a variety of basic and routine-type care but are not always open; if you are seeking treatment you should request U.S. or Western health practitioners. Afghan public hospitals should be avoided. Individuals without government licenses or even medical degrees often operate private clinics; there is no public agency that monitors their operations. You will not be able to find Western-trained medical personnel in most parts of the country outside Kabul, although there are some international aid groups temporarily providing basic medical assistance in various cities and villages. For any medical treatment, payment is required in advance. Commercial medical evacuation capability from Afghanistan is limited and could take days to arrange. Even medevac companies that claim to service the world may not agree to come to Afghanistan. If you have medevac insurance, you should confirm with the insurance provider that medevac assistance is available in Afghanistan and which clinics they recommend for evaluation. You can find detailed information on vaccinations and other health precautions on the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) website. For information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad, consultthe World Health Organization (WHO) website. The WHO website also contains additional health information for travelers, including detailed country-specific health information. Tuberculosis is an increasingly serious health concern in Afghanistan. For further information, please consult the CDC's information on TB.

Life Expectancy at Birth

total population: 54.4 years male: 52.8 years female: 56.1 years

Infant Mortality Rate

total: 101.3 deaths/1,000 live births male: 109.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 92.5 deaths/1,000 live births

Major Infectious Diseases

degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: Crimea-Congo hemorrhagic fever note: Afghanistan is one of two countries with endemic wild polio virus (the other is Pakistan) and considered high risk for international spread of the disease; before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine

Drinking Water Source

improved: improved: urban: 100% of population improved: rural: 68.3% of population improved: total: 76.5% of population unimproved: unimproved: urban: 0% of population unimproved: rural: 31.7% of population unimproved: total: 23.5% of population

Sanitation Facility Access

improved: urban: 88.2% of population rural: 52% of population total: 61.4% of population unimproved: urban: 11.8% of population rural: 48% of population total: 38.6% of population

Tobacco Use

total: 23.3% male: 39.4% female: 7.2%

Alcohol Consumption

total: 0.01 liters of pure alcohol beer: 0 liters of pure alcohol wine: 0 liters of pure alcohol spirits: 0.01 liters of pure alcohol other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol

Literacy Definition

age 15 and over can read and write

Total School Life Expectancy

total: 10 years male: 13 years female: 8 years

• Sunni Muslim80.0%
• Shia Muslim19.0%
• other1.0%

Pashtu (official) 35%, Afghan Persian (Dari) 50%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism

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%

• Pashtu
• Afghan Persian (Dari)
• Farsi
• Ubzek
• Uzbek

• Mahmud of Ghazni

  (971?–1030), was the Turkish creator of an empire stretching from Ray and Isfahan in Iran to Lahore in India (now in Pakistan) and from the Amu Darya (Oxus) River to the Arabian Sea. Zahir ud-Din Babur (1483–1530), a Timurid prince of Ferghana (now in the former USSR), established his base at Kabul and from there waged campaigns leading to the expulsion of an Afghan ruling dynasty, the Lodis, from Delhi and the foundation of the Mughal Empire in India.

• Abdur Rahman Khan

  Government Leader · 1844–1901

  Abdur Rahman Khan was Emir of Afghanistan from 1880 to 1901. He was the third son of Afzul Khan, and grandson of Dost Mahommed Khan, who had established the Barakzai Dynasty in Afghanistan Abdur Rahman had been almost twelve years in Russian exile, and wore a Russian uniform when he rode to Kabul. The British gambled that he would resist any Russian interference in his affairs just as fiercely as his predecessors had resisted the British. The success of this gamble, which made Afghanistan a buffer state between Russia and British India, was in no small measure due to the wisdom of the Amir himself, for he understood very well the role he was to play. His 21-year reign was marked by his efforts to modernize and establish control of the kingdom, which was, during the same period, delineated in its modern borders by the two empires that surrounded it. Caught between the Russians and the British, Abdur Rahman turned his formidable energies to what turned out to be virtually the creation of the modern state of Afghanistan, During his reign the British and Russians reached a settlement of the whole long border between Russian and Afghanistan from the Pamirs to Iran. The border between Afghanistan and British India to the southeast was also demarcated by the famous Durrand Line, which clarified the respective areas in which the Afghans and the British would be responsible for controlling the Pushtun tribes living on the frontier. Abdur Rahman’s achievement during his reign were impressive. His main task was the integration of rebellious tribes into a single polity. He weakened the autonomy of the tribes by transferring many of the military and administrative functions of the chiefs to the central government. He transferred loyal tribesmen as settlers into rebellious regions, and crushed the Hazaras and Nuristanis (formerly known as Kafirs or atheists) by invading their lands. He converted the Nuristanis by sword-point to Islam.

Crime Information

A large portion of the Afghan population is unemployed, and many among the unemployed have moved to urban areas. These factors may directly contribute to crime and lawlessness. Diplomats and international relief workers have reported incidents of robberies and household burglaries as well as kidnappings and assaults. Any U.S. citizen who enters Afghanistan should remain vigilant for possible banditry, including violent attacks. Do not buy counterfeit and pirated goods, even if they are widely available. Not only are the bootlegs illegal in the United States, but if you purchase them, you may also be breaking local law.

Criminal Penalties

While you are traveling in Afghanistan, you are subject to its laws even if you are a U.S. citizen. Foreign laws and legal systems can be vastly different than our own and may not afford the protections available to you under U.S. law. Penalties for breaking the law can be more severe than in the United States for similar offenses. Engaging in sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is acrime prosecutable in the United States. In some areas of Afghanistan you could be detained for questioning if you do not have your passport with you. Taking pictures of military installations or personnel may result in questioning or detention. Possession of alcohol and certainly driving under the influence of alcohol could land you in jail for three to six months. Penalties for possessing, using, or trafficking in illegal drugs in Afghanistan are severe, and convicted offenders can expect long jail sentences and heavy fines. If you break local laws in Afghanistan, your U.S. passport will not help you avoid arrest or prosecution. It is very important to know what constitutes legal and illegal actions in the area where you are traveling. Persons violating Afghan laws, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested, or imprisoned. Although the Afghan constitution allows the free exercise of religion, proselytizing may be viewed as contrary to the beliefs of Islam and considered harmful to society. Authorities take these matters very seriously. Afghan law carries a maximum penalty of death for those charged with proselytizing, if convicted. Evidence may consist of possession of non-Islamic religious material, especially in local languages. Allegations of conversion of Afghan citizens are taken particularly seriously. The testimony of three individuals or a group is enough to convict someone of proselytizing. The same penalty exists in law for Afghan citizens who convert to another religion. All Afghan citizens are considered Muslim from birth. Converts are subject to arrest regardless of where the conversion took place, and Afghan-U.S. dual nationals are also subject to this law. U.S. citizens have also been arrested by police in cases involving debt to Afghans. In Afghanistan, debts and business disputes are not exclusively civil matters as may be the case in the United States. Instead, the aggrieved party may successfully have a U.S. citizen arrested in cases where a debt is alleged to be owed to an Afghan. The Ministries of Commerce and Interior, Afghan Investment Support Agency, the Afghan National Police, and the courts have all played roles in recent disputes involving U.S. citizens. If involved in a commercial dispute, hiring an Afghan attorney early can be beneficial. A list of English speaking attorneys in the consular district of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul can be found on the Embassy”™s website. The list comprises attorneys in Afghanistan officially registered with the Afghan Ministry of Justice who have expressed a willingness to carry out legal services for U.S. citizens. The Embassy does not endorse any particular attorney and the list is not comprehensive; we encourage those seeking legal advice in Afghanistan to utilize other means of finding an attorney. While some countries will automatically notify the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate if a U.S. citizen is detained or arrested in a foreign country, that might not always be the case. To ensure that the United States is aware of your circumstances, request that the police and prison officials notify the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate as soon as you are arrested or detained.