World Factbook
Afghanistan
Jamhuri-ye Islami-ye Afghanistan (prior to 15 August 2021; current country name is disputed)
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Literacy
male
52.1% (2021 est.)
female
26.6% (2022 est.)
total population
37.3% (2021 est.)
Languages
note
note 1: percentages sum to more than 100% because many people are multilingual note 2: Uzbeki, Turkmani, Pashaie, Nuristani, Balochi, and Pamiri are the third official languages in areas where the majority speaks them
Languages
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% (2020 est.)
major-language sample(s)
کتاب حقایق جهان، مرجعی ضروری برای اطلاعات اولیە (Dari) د دنیا د حقائېقو کتاب، بنیادی معلوماتو لپاره ضروری سرچینه- (Pashto) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions
Muslim 99.7% (Sunni 84.7 - 89.7%, Shia 10 - 15%), other <0.3% (2009 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1.03 male(s)/female
total population
1.02 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.85 male(s)/female
Birth rate
35.99 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
5.79 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
20 years
total
18.4 years (2025 est.)
female
20.1 years
Population
male
25,051,967
total
49,474,805 (2025 est.)
female
24,422,838
Nationality
noun
Afghan(s)
adjective
Afghan
Tobacco use
male
36.5% (2025 est.)
total
20.8% (2025 est.)
female
5.2% (2025 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
26.9% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
3.34% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
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% (2024 est.) (male 535,925/female 629,340)
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
Child marriage
men married by age 18
7.3% (2015)
women married by age 15
9.6% (2023)
women married by age 18
28.7% (2023)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
82.2 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio
77 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio
19 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
5.2 (2025 est.)
Physician density
0.32 physicians/1,000 population (2023)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
21.8% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
1.1% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
-1.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Hospital bed density
0.4 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Total fertility rate
4.89 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: rural
rural: 76.1% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 82.2% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 99% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 23.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 17.8% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 1% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
4.3% of GDP (2017 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
15.7% national budget (2017 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
109.7 deaths/1,000 live births
total
42 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
92.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
2.86% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
2.39 (2025 est.)
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
Life expectancy at birth
male
52.8 years
female
56.1 years
total population
54.4 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
521 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: rural
rural: 58.9% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 68% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 93% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 41.1% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 32% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 7% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
4.589 million KABUL (capital) (2023)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
5.5% (2016)
Mother's mean age at first birth
19.9 years (2015 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
65.9% (2023 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
18.4% (2022 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
male
13 years (2018 est.)
total
11 years (2018 est.)
female
8 years (2018 est.)