Browse additional economic indicators and data sets

Afghanistan

Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Afghanistan economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends.

Basic Information

Government Type: Presidential Islamic Republic

Capital City: Kabul

GDP & Economic Information

Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data

Central Bank Bank of Afghanistan
Currency Afghanis (AFA)
International Reserves USD 8.2 billion (2018)

World Bank, data retrieved October 2019
Government Bond Ratings Standard & Poor’s: N/A
Moody’s: N/A
Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s
International Reserves USD 8.2 billion (2018)

World Bank, data retrieved October 2019
Gross Domestic Product – GDP USD 19.6 billion (2018, estimate)
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) Intl$ 72.7 billion (2018)

GDP Data

Real GDP growth 2014 2.7%
2015 1.0%
2016 2.2%
2017 2.7%
2018 2.3%

*Estimate
GDP per capita – current prices USD 543.7 (2018, estimate)
GDP per capita – PPP Intl$ 2,016.9 (2018, estimate)
GDP (PPP) – share of world total 0.05% (2019, estimate)
GDP – composition by sector agriculture: 20.5%
industry: 22.1%
services: 52.7%

(2017)
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) N/A
Inflation 2015 -0.7%
2016 4.4%
2017 5%
2018 0.6%
2019* 2.6%

*2019 Estimate

Inflation & Debt

Inflation 2015 -0.7%
2016 4.4%
2017 5%
2018 0.6%
2019* 2.6%

*2019 Estimate
Unemployment rate N/A
Household saving rates N/A
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) 2015 9.10%
2016 7.80%
2017 7.50%
2018 6.90%
2019* 7.50%

*2019 Estimate
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) 2014 1.40%
2016 0.10%
2017 -0.06%
2018* 1.50%
2019* -0.80%

*2019 Estimate
Market value of publicly traded shares N/A

Import/Export

Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) 5.9% (2017)

Shares in world total merchandising export 0.004% (2018)

Shares in world total commercial services export 0.008% (2018)

Total exports USD 1.6 billion (2018 estimate)

Export commodities Opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems, and medical herbs

Total imports USD 8.3 billion (2018 estimate)

Import commodities Machinery and other capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products

Exports – major partners India 56.5%, Pakistan 29.6% (2017)

Imports – major partners China 21%, Iran 20.5%, Pakistan 11.8%, Kazakhstan 11%, Uzbekistan 6.8%, Malaysia 5.3%(2017)

Competitiveness & Trade

Current account balance USD 1.8 billion (2018 estimate)
Current account balance by percentage of GDP 9.1 % (2018 estimate)

FDI inflows 2016 USD 94 million
2017 USD 53 million
2018 USD 139 million
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser 2015 N/A
2016 N/A
2017 N/A
2018 N/A
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 N/A
Best countries for doing business Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

Overall ranking:

173 out of 190 countries

Subcategories:
Starting a Business: 52 out of 190 countries
Dealing with Construction Permits: 183 out of 190 countries
Getting Electricity: 173 out of 190 countries
Registering Property: 186 out of 190 countries
Getting Credit: 104 out of 190 countries
Protecting Minority Investors: 140 out of 190 countries
Paying Taxes: 178 out of 190 countries
Trading across Borders: 177 out of 190 countries
Enforcing Contracts: 181 out of 190 countries
Resolving Insolvency: 76 out of 190 countries
Global competitiveness ranking N/A
Index of Economic Freedom Ranking: 152 / Score: 51.5 (Mostly unfree)

Source: The Heritage Foundation– 2019 Index of Economic Freedom

Population & Geographic Data

Total Area 652,230 sq km

Total Population 1990 N/A
2000 N/A
2010 28.398 Million
2015 33.74 Million
Urban population as % of total population 1960 8.4%
1980 16%
2000 22.1%
2020 25.5%
Population median age 19 years

Population growth rate 2.37% (2018 estimate)

Life expectancy 51.2 years (2018 estimate)

% of population living on less than $3.10 a day N/A
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) N/A
Freedom House rating Not Free
Political Rights: 5
Civil Liberties: 6 (2019)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)
Total telephone subscribers as % of population Fixed: 0.3% Mobile: 59.1% (2018)

(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)
Internet users as % of total population 13.5% (2017)

Language & Religon

Languages Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 77% (Dari functions as the lingua franca)

Pashto (official) 48%

Uzbek 11%

English 6%

Turkmen 3%

Urdu 3%

Pashayi 1%

Nuristani 1%

Arabic 1%

Balochi 1% (2017 est.)
Literacy Total population: 38.2%
Male: 52%
Female: 24.2%
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)

(age 15 and over can read and write)
Religions Muslim: 99.7% (Sunni 84.7 – 89.7%, Shia 10 – 15%)

Other: 0.3%

(2009 est.)

World Rankings

Population 37 M
Mercer Cost of living index N/A
C02 Emissions per capita 0.29 (2014)

Global Finance Rankings & Awards: Afghanistan

Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.

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