Demographics of Afghanistan

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This article is about the population of the country of Afghanistan. For ethnic groups, see Ethnic groups in Afghanistan.
Demographics of Afghanistan
Afghanistan single age population pyramid 2020.png
Afghanistan population pyramid in 2020
Population39,864,082 (2021)[1]
Growth rate2.34% (2016)
Birth rate38.3 births/1,000 population (2016)
Death rate13.7 deaths/1,000 population (2016)
Life expectancy63.2 years (2019)[2][3]
 • male63.3 years
 • female63.2 years
Fertility rate5.33 children born/woman (2015)
Infant mortality rate66.3 deaths/1,000 live births[4]
Age structure
0–14 years42.3% (male 6,464,070/female 6,149,468)
15–64 years55.3% (male 8,460,486/female 8,031,968)
65 and over2.4% (male 349,349/female 380,051)
Sex ratio
At birth1.05 male/female
Under 151.03 male/female
15–64 years1.04 male/female
65 and over0.87 male/female
Nationality
Nationalitynoun: Afghan(s)
Major ethnicPashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek and others
Language
OfficialDari[5] and Pashto
SpokenDari, Pashto, Uzbeki and other

The population of Afghanistan is around 39 million as of 2021.[1] The nation is composed of a multi-ethnic and multilingual society, reflecting its location astride historic trade and invasion routes between Central Asia, Southern Asia, and Western Asia. Ethnic groups in the country include Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbeks, Nuristanis, Aimaq, Turkmen, Baloch and a number of others which are less known.[6][7][8]

Approximately 46% of the population is under 15 years of age, and 74% of all Afghans live in rural areas.[4] The average woman gives birth to five children during her entire life, the highest fertility rate outside of Africa. About 6.8% of all babies die in child-birth or infancy.[4] The average life expectancy of the nation was reported in 2019 at around 63 years,[2][3] and only 0.04% of the population has HIV.[7]

Pashto and Dari are both the official languages of the country.[5] Pashto is widely used in the regions south of the Hindu Kush mountains and as far as the Indus River in neighboring Pakistan, it is the language with the most native speakers in Afghanistan. Uzbek and Turkmen are smaller languages spoken in parts of the north.[7] Multilingualism is common throughout the country, especially in the major cities. Up to 89.7% of the population practices Sunni Islam and belongs to the Hanafi Islamic law school, while 10–15% are followers of Shia Islam;[7][9] the majority of whom belong to the Twelver branch, with smaller numbers of Ismailis. The remaining 0.3% practice other religions such as Sikhism and Hinduism. Excluding urban populations in the principal cities, most people are organized into tribal and other kinship-based groups, who follow their own traditional customs.

Population statistics[]

Further information: Afghan diaspora

Anatol Lieven of Georgetown University in Qatar wrote in 2021 that "it may be noted that in the whole of modern Afghan history there has never been a census that could be regarded as remotely reliable."[10]

Historical[]

Sport fans inside the Ghazi Stadium in the capital of Kabul, which is multi-ethnic and the largest city of Afghanistan.

The first nationwide census of Afghanistan was carried out only in 1979, but previously there had been scattered attempts to conduct censuses in individual cities.[11] According to the 1876 census, Kabul had a population of 140,700 people.[12] In Kandahar in 1891 a population census was carried out, according to which 31,514 people lived in the city, of which 16,064 were men and 15,450 were women.[13]

In 1979 the total population was reported to be about 15.5 million.[14][15] From 1979 until the end of 1983, some 5 million people left the country to take shelter in neighboring northwestern Pakistan and eastern Iran. This exodus was largely unchecked by any government. The Afghan government in 1983 reported a population of 15.96 million, which presumably included the exodus.[16]

It is assumed that roughly 600,000 to as high as 2 million Afghans may have been killed during the various 1979–2001 wars.[17] These figures are questionable and no attempt has ever been made to verify if they were actually killed or had moved to neighboring countries as refugees.[16]

Current and latest[]

As of 2021, the total population of Afghanistan is around 37,466,414,[7][18] which includes the 3 million Afghan nationals living in both Pakistan and Iran.[19] About 26% of the population is urbanite and the remaining 74% lives in rural areas.[7]

Afghanistan's Central Statistics Organization (CSO) stated in 2011 that the total number of Afghans living inside Afghanistan was about 26 million[19] and by 2017 it reached 29.2 million. Of this, 15 million are males and 14.2 million are females.[20] The country's population is expected to reach 82 million by 2050.[21]

Urban areas have experienced rapid population growth in the last decade, which is due to the return of over 5 million expats. The only city in Afghanistan with over a million residents is its capital, Kabul. The other largest cities in the country are shown in the chart below.

 
  • v
  • t
Largest cities or towns in Afghanistan
2019 estimate[22]
Rank Name Province Pop.
Kabul
Kabul
Kandahar
Kandahar 		1 Kabul Kabul Province 4,273,200 Herat
Herat
Mazar-i-Sharif
Mazar-i-Sharif
2 Kandahar Kandahar Province 614,300
3 Herat Herat Province 556,200
4 Mazar-i-Sharif Balkh Province 469,200
5 Jalalabad Nangarhar Province 356,500
6 Kunduz Kunduz Province 263,200
7 Taloqan Takhar Province 253,700
8 Puli Khumri Baghlan Province 237,900
9 Ghazni Ghazni Province 183,000
10 Khost Khost Province 153,300

Age structure[]

Population pyramid 2016

0–14 years: 40.62% (male 7,562,703/female 7,321,646)
15-24 years: 21.26% (male 3,960,044/female 3,828,670)
25-54 years: 31.44% (male 5,858,675/female 5,661,887)
55-64 years: 4.01% (male 724,597/female 744,910)
65 years and over: 2.68% (male 451,852/female 528,831) (2020 est.)

Population growth rate[]

2.34% (2021)[7]
country comparison to the world: 39

Urbanization[]

Young Afghans at a music festival inside the Gardens of Babur in Kabul.

urbanization population: 26% of the total population (2020)
rate of urbanization: 3.37% annual rate of change (2015–20)

Sex ratio[]

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2020)

Vital statistics[]

UN estimates[]

Period Live births per year Deaths per year Natural change per year CBR1 CDR1 NC1 TFR1 IMR1
1950–1955 403,000 295,000 108,000 52.9 36.9 16.0 7.45 275.0
1955–1960 440,000 291,000 149,000 52.9 34.8 18.1 7.45 260.6
1960–1965 488,000 295,000 192,000 52.8 32.7 20.2 7.45 245.4
1965–1970 545,000 304,000 242,000 52.6 30.3 22.4 7.45 228.1
1970–1975 610,000 313,000 297,000 52.1 27.9 24.2 7.45 211.4
1975–1980 657,000 307,000 350,000 51.5 25.6 26.0 7.45 194.5
1980–1985 630,000 259,000 371,000 51.8 24.1 27.7 7.45 182.8
1985–1990 597,000 207,000 390,000 52.2 22.7 29.5 7.47 171.9
1990–1995 714,000 210,000 505,000 52.6 21.4 31.2 7.48 161.8
1995–2000 914,000 239,000 675,000 52.4 20.1 32.3 7.65 152.3
2000–2005 1,057,000 248,000 810,000 48.4 18.3 30.1 7.18 143.7
2005–2010 1,142,000 240,000 902,000 45.1 16.8 28.3 6.37 136.0
2010–2015 1,130,000 233,000 897,000 45.1 16.8 28.3 5.26 136.0
2015–2020 1,158,000 234,000 924,000 45.1 16.8 28.3 4.41 136.0
2020–2025 1,167,000 240,000 927,000 45.1 16.8 28.3 3.71 136.0
1 CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births
<Source:[23]

Fertility and births[]

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):[24]

Year CBR (Total) TFR (Total) CBR (Urban) TFR (Urban) CBR (Rural) TFR (Rural)
2010 35.6 5.1 34.7 4.5 35.9 5.2
2015 36.8 5.3 (4.4) 35.8 4.8 (3.7) 37.1 5.4 (4.6)

Fertility data by province (DHS Program):[25]

Province Total fertility rate
(2015)
Kabul 4.6
Kapisa 4.8
Parwan 5.7
Wardak 4.2
Logar 4.2
Nangarhar 6.4
Laghman 7.3
Panjshir 3.2
Baghlan 4.4
Bamyan 5.4
Ghazni 2.8
Paktika 5.3
Paktia 5.2
Khost 5.6
Kunar 6.8
Nuristan 8.9
Badakhshan 5.3
Takhar 5.7
Kunduz 4.4
Samangan 5.1
Balkh 5.5
Sar-e Pol 4.8
Ghor 5.8
Daykundi 5.2
Urozgan 8.8
Zabul 5.1
Kandahar 6.5
Jawzjan 3.9
Faryab 6.2
Helmand 4.7
Badghis 6.6
Herat 4.8
Farah 5.4
Nimruz 5.4

Structure of the population[]

An Afghan family from the Pashtun tribe in their home in Kabul

Structure of the population (2012.01.07) (Data refer to the settled population based on the 1979 Population Census and the latest household prelisting. The refugees of Afghanistan in Iran, Pakistan, and an estimated 1.5 million nomads, are not included):[26]

Life expectancy[]

total population: 63.2 years (2019)[2][3][27]
country comparison to the world: 214
male: 63.3 years (2019)[2]
female: 63.2 years (2019)[2]

Period Life expectancy in
Years 		Period Life expectancy in
Years
1950–1955 28.6 1985–1990 47.7
1955–1960 31.1 1990–1995 51.7
1960–1965 33.4 1995–2000 54.2
1965–1970 35.6 2000–2005 56.9
1970–1975 37.8 2005–2010 60.0
1975–1980 40.4 2010–2015 62.3
1980–1985 43.6 2015-2020 63.2

Source: UN World Population Prospects[28]

Development and health indicators[]

Main articles: Health in Afghanistan, Healthcare in Afghanistan, and Education in Afghanistan
Gathering of students in 2006 at a school in Nangarhar Province.

Literacy[]

Definition: People over the age of 15 that can read and write
Total population: 43% (2018)[7]
Male: 55.5%
Female: 29.8%

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)[]

total: 10 years
male: 13 years
female: 8 years (2018)

HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate[]

0.04% (2015)[7]

HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS[]

Up to 6,900 (2015 estimate)[7][29]

In 2008, health officials in Afghanistan reported 504[30] cases of people living with HIV but by the end of 2012 the numbers reached 1,327. The nation's health ministry stated that most of the HIV patients were among intravenous drug users and that 70% of them were men, 25% women, and the remaining 5% children. They belonged to Kabul, Kandahar and Herat, the provinces from where people make the most trips to neighboring and foreign countries.[31] Regarding Kandahar, 22 cases were reported in 2012. "AIDS Prevention department head Dr Hamayoun Rehman said 1,320 blood samples were examined and 21 were positive. Among the 21 patients, 18 were males and three were females who contracted the deadly virus from their husbands. He said four people had reached a critical stage while three had died. The main source of the disease was the use of syringes used by drug addicts."[32] There are approximately 23,000 addicts in the country who inject drugs into their bodies using syringes
country comparison to the world: 168

HIV/AIDS – deaths[]

Up to 300 (2015 estimate)[7]

Major infectious diseases[]

Degree of risk: high

  • Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
  • Vector-borne diseases: malaria
  • Animal contact diseases: rabies

Note: WH5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk as of 2009.[citation needed]

Ethnic groups[]

Further information: Ethnic groups in Afghanistan

In recent years, a nationwide distribution of Afghan e-ID cards (e-Tazkiras) began. The ethnicity of each citizen is provided in the application. This process is expected to reveal the exact figures about the size and composition of the country's ethnic groups.[33] Article Four of the Afghan Constitution mentions 14 ethnic groups by names but some Afghans belong to other such groups.[6] An approximate distribution of the ethnolinguistic groups are listed in the chart below:

A 2005 CIA map showing the various Afghan tribal territories
Ethnolinguistic groups in Afghanistan in 2001
Ethnolinguistic groups in Afghanistan in 1982
Ethnic groups in Afghanistan
Ethnic group Image Estimate based on Afghan Parliament[34] 2013 estimate[35] Pre-2004 estimates[36][37][38]
Pashtun Children in Khost province 38.5% 42% 38-50%
Tajik/Qizilbash Tajik children in Khowahan district of Badakhshan 21.3% 27% 25–26.3% (of this 1% is Qizilbash)
Hazara/Sayyid Hazaras in Daykundi Province 24.5% (figure includes Sayyids) 9% 12-19%
Uzbek Uzbek looking boy in northern Afghanistan 6% 9% 6-8%
Aimak 3.2% 4% 500,000-800,000 individuals
Turkmen 1.2% 3% 2.5%
Baloch Camera focusing on Baloch 0.5% 2% 100,000 individuals
Others (Pashai, Nuristani, Arab, Brahui, Pamiri, Gujjar, etc.) Young Pashai man 4.9% 4% 6.9%

The recent estimate in the above chart is somewhat supported by the below national opinion polls, which were aimed at knowing how a group of about 804 to 8,706 local residents in Afghanistan felt about the current war, political situation, as well as the economic and social issues affecting their daily lives. Ten surveys were conducted between 2004 and 2015 by the Asia Foundation (a sample is shown in the table below; the survey in 2015 did not contain information on the ethnicity of the participants) and one between 2004 and 2009 by a combined effort of the broadcasting companies NBC News, BBC, and ARD.[39][40]

Answers regarding ethnicity provided by 804 to 13,943 Afghans in national opinion polls
Ethnic group "Afghanistan: Where Things Stand" (2004)[40]
"A survey of the Afghan people" (2004)[39] 		"Afghanistan: Where Things Stand" (2005)[40] "Afghanistan: Where Things Stand" (2006)[40] "Afghanistan: Where Things Stand" (2007)[40] "A survey of the Afghan people" (2007)[39] "Afghanistan: Where Things Stand" (2009)[40] "A survey of the Afghan people" (2012)[39] "A survey of the Afghan people" (2014)[39] "A survey of the Afghan people" (2018)[39] "A survey of the Afghan people" (2019)[39]
Pashtun 46% 40% 42% 38% 40.1% 40% 40% 40% 37% 39%
Tajik 39% 37% 37% 38% 35.1% 37% 33% 36% 37% 37%
Hazara 6% 13% 12% 6% 10.0% 11% 11% 10% 10% 11%
Uzbek 6% 6% 5% 6% 8.1% 7% 9% 8% 9% 8%
Aimak 0% 0% 0% 0% 0.8% 0% 1% 1% 1% <0.5%
Turkmen 1% 1% 3% 2% 3.1% 2% 2% 2% 2% 2%
Baloch 0% 0% 0% 3% 0.7% 1% 1% 1% 1% <0.5%
Others (Pashayi, Nuristani, Arab, Qizilbash.) 3% 3% 1% 5% 2.1% 3% 3% 2% 2% 3%
Don't know -% -% -% -% -% -% -% -% 1% -%

Languages[]

Dari and Pashto are both the official languages of Afghanistan.[5]

Uzbek and Turkmen are spoken as native languages in northern provinces, mainly among the Uzbeks and Turkmens. Smaller number of Afghans are also fluent in English, Urdu, Balochi, Arabic and other languages. An approximate distribution of languages spoken in the country is shown in the chart below:

Languages of Afghanistan
Language Recent estimate including both L1 and L2 speakers[41] Pre-1992 estimates including both L1 and L2 speakers[36][42][43]
Dari 78% 25-50%
Pashto 50% 50-70%
Uzbek 10% 9%
English 6%
Turkmen 2% 500,000 speakers
Urdu 1%
Pashayi 1%
Nuristani 1%
Arabic 1%
Balochi 1%
1 note: data represent most widely spoken languages; shares sum to more than 100% because there is much bilingualism in the country and because respondents were allowed to select more than one language
note: the Turkic languages Uzbek and Turkmen, as well as Balochi, Pashayi, Nuristani, and Pamiri are the third official languages in areas where the majority speaks them[41]

Based on information from the latest national opinion polls, up to 51% stated that they can speak or understand Pashto and up to 79% stated that they can speak or understand Dari. Uzbek was spoken or understood by up to 11% and Turkmen by up to 7%. Other languages that can be spoken are Arabic (4%) and Balochi (2%).[39][40]

Religion[]

Main article: Religion in Afghanistan
Religion in Afghanistan (2015)[44]
Religion Percent
Sunni Islam
 
 89.7%
Shia Islam
 
 10%
others
 
 0.3%
Afghan politicians and foreign diplomats praying at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.

Almost the entire Afghan population is Muslim, with less than 1% being non-Muslim. Despite attempts to secularize Afghan society, Islamic practices pervade all aspects of life. Likewise, Islamic religious tradition and codes, together with traditional practices, provide the principal means of controlling personal conduct and settling legal disputes. Islam was used as the main basis for expressing opposition to the modernization of Afghanistan by King Amanullah in the 1920s. It was also used by the mujahideen during the 1980s Soviet–Afghan War and by the Taliban today.

The members of Sikh and Hindu communities are mostly concentrated in urban areas. They numbered hundreds of thousands in the 1970s but over 90% have since fled due to the Afghan wars and persecution.[45]

National opinion polls (religion)
Religion "A survey of the Afghan people" (2004)[39] "A survey of the Afghan people" (2006)[39] "A survey of the Afghan people" (2007)[39] "A survey of the Afghan people" (2008)[39] "A survey of the Afghan people" (2009)[39] "A survey of the Afghan people" (2010)[39] "A survey of the Afghan people" (2011)[39] "A survey of the Afghan people" (2012)[39]
Sunni Islam 92% " 87.3% " " " " "
Shia Islam 7% " 12.3% " " " " "
Ismailism 1% " 0.4% " " " " "
Hinduism 0% " 0.1% " " " " "
Buddhism 0% " 0% " " " " "
Sikhism 0% " 0% " " " " "

See also[]

References[]

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Further reading[]

External links[]

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