Afghanistan Demographics

What is the population of Afghanistan?

Population	40,121,552
Population: Male/Female	male: 20,301,066 female: 19,820,486
Population Growth Rate	2.22%
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)
Nationality Noun	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
Language Note	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%

Afghanistan Population Comparison

Afghanistan Health Information

What are the health conditions in Afghanistan?

Life Expectancy at Birth	total population: 54.4 years male: 52.8 years female: 56.1 years
Death Rate - deaths/1,000 population	11.8
Infant Mortality Rate - total deaths/1,000 live births	total: 101.3 deaths/1,000 live births male: 109.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 92.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Health Expenditures - percent of GDP	15.5%
Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population	.25
Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population	.4
Major Infectious Diseases - degree of risk	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 - percent of urban population improved	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
Tobacco Use	total: 23.3% male: 39.4% female: 7.2%
Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births	620
Mean Age for Mother's First Birth (age 25-49)	19.9
Contraceptive Prevalence Rate - female 12-49	18.9%
Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman	4.43
Gross reproduction rate	2
Obesity - adult prevalence rate	5.5%
Sanitation Facility Access - percent of urban population improved	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
Underweight - percent of children under five years	19.1%
Alcohol consumption per capita	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
Child Marriage	women married by age 15: 4.2% women married by age 18: 28.3%
Currently married women (ages 15-49)	70.3%

Afghanistan Life Expectancy

How long do people live in Afghanistan?

Life Expectancy at Birth	total population: 54.4 years male: 52.8 years female: 56.1 years
Median Age	total: 20 years male: 20 years female: 20.1 years
Gross reproduction rate	2
Contraceptive Prevalance Rate - female 12-49	18.9%
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
Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births	620
Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman	4.43

Afghanistan median age, birth rate and death rates

Birth Rate - births/1,000 population	34
Median Age	total: 20 years male: 20 years female: 20.1 years
Net Migration Rate - migrant(s)/1,000 population	-0.1
Population Growth Rate	2.22%
Sex Ratio at Birth - male/female	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
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)
Contraceptive Prevalance Rate - female 12-49	18.9%
Gross reproduction rate	2
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
Maternal Mortality Rate - deaths/100,000 live births	620
Mother's mean age at first birth	19.9
Total Fertility Rate - children born/woman	4.43

Afghanistan Medical Information

What are the health conditions in Afghanistan?

Medical Facilities and Health Information

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 serve 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, consult the 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.

Health Expenditures - percent of GDP

15.5%

Hospital Bed Density - beds/1,000 population

Physicians Density - physicians/1,000 population

.25

Afghanistan Education

What is school like in Afghanistan?

Education Expenditures - percent of GDP	2.9%
Literacy - female	22.6%
Literacy - male	52.1%
Literacy - total population	37.3%
Literacy Definition	age 15 and over can read and write
Total School Life Expectancy - (primary to tertiary)	total: 10 years male: 13 years female: 8 years

Afghanistan Literacy

Can people in Afghanistan read?

Literacy - female	22.6%
Literacy - male	52.1%
Literacy - total population	37.3%
Literacy Definition	age 15 and over can read and write

Afghanistan Crime

Is Afghanistan a safe place to visit?

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.

Afghanistan Penalties for Crime

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 a crime 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 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.

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