Afghanistan

<p>Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian Empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in increased democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 communist countercoup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan communist regime, touching off a long and destructive war. Internationally supported anti-communist mujahidin rebels forced the USSR to withdraw in 1989. A series of subsequent civil wars saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, a US and Allied military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Usama BIN LADIN.</p> <p>A UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001 established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution, a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005. In 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan, and he was reelected in 2009. Ashraf Ghani AHMADZAI succeeded him as president in 2014 following a disputed election. The Taliban conducted an insurgency for two decades against the Afghan Government and forces from the United States and other countries. In February 2020, the US and the Taliban signed an agreement that led to the withdrawal of international forces in exchange for commitments on counterterrorism and other assurances. The Taliban took over Afghanistan on 15 August 2021.<br><br>The Taliban established an all-male interim leadership structure dominated by Pashtun clerics under the leadership of Haivatrullah AKHUNDZADA. The Taliban issued numerous edicts that constrained women's mobility, ability to study and work, and access to education beyond primary school. To date, no country has recognized the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan.</p>

Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran

33 00 N, 65 00 E

Asia

almost six times the size of Virginia; slightly smaller than Texas

0 km (landlocked)

none (landlocked)

arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers

mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest

natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones, arable land

24,930 sq km (2022)

Amu Darya (shared with Tajikistan [s], Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan [m]) - 2,620 km; Helmand river source (shared with Iran) - 1,130 km<br><br><strong>note:</strong> [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

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

damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts

landlocked; the Hindu Kush mountains that run northeast to southwest divide the northern provinces from the rest of the country; the highest peaks are in the northern Vakhan (Wakhan Corridor)

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

Muslim 99.7% (Sunni 84.7 - 89.7%, Shia 10 - 15%), other &lt;0.3% (2009 est.)

2.86% (2025 est.)

35.99 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

5.79 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-1.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

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

4.589 million KABUL (capital) (2023)

19.9 years (2015 est.)

521 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

4.89 children born/woman (2025 est.)

2.39 (2025 est.)

0.32 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

0.4 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)

5.5% (2016)

18.4% (2022 est.)

65.9% (2023 est.)

limited natural freshwater resources; inadequate potable water; soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (cut down for fuel and building materials); desertification; air and water pollution in urban areas

arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers

84 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

65.33 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

theocratic; the United States does not recognize the Taliban Government

34 provinces (<em>welayat</em>, singular - <em>welayat</em>); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamyan, Daykundi, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghor, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabul, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khost, Kunar, Kunduz, Laghman, Logar, Nangarhar, Nimroz, Nuristan, Paktika, Paktiya, Panjshir, Parwan, Samangan, Sar-e Pul, Takhar, Uruzgan, Wardak, Zabul

the Taliban is implementing its own interpretation of Islamic law, which is partially based on the Hanifi school of Islamic jurisprudence and have enforced strict punishments; before the Taliban takeover, Afghanistan had a mixed legal system of civil, customary, and Islamic law (2021)

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; formerly accepted ICCt jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

<strong>note:</strong> Afghanistan’s bicameral National Assembly consisted of the House of Elders and House of the People but was dissolved after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021

the Taliban Government enforces an authoritarian state and has banned other political parties<br><br>the Taliban have banned other political parties but have allowed some party leaders, including the head of Hezb-e-Islami, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, to continue to live and work in Afghanistan; Hekmatyar likely continues to enjoy some political support from loyalists; leaders of other parties, including Jamiat-e-Islami’s Salahuddin Rabbani and Jumbesh’s Rashid Dostum, operate from abroad but likely also command some following within Afghanistan

none<strong><br><br>note</strong>: the Afghan Embassy closed in March 2022

Afghanistan is a member of the following organizations but Taliban representatives do not participate: ADB, CICA, CP, ECO, EITI (candidate country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), SAARC, SACEP, SCO (dialogue member), UN, UNAMA, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)

previous: Independence Day, 19 August (1919); under the Taliban Government, 15 August (2022) is declared a national holiday, marking the anniversary of the victory of the Afghan jihad<br><br>

<strong>description: </strong>three equal vertical bands of black (left), red, and green, with the national emblem in white centered on the red band and slightly overlapping the other bands; the emblem shows a mosque with a pulpit and flags on either side; below the mosque are Eastern Arabic numerals for the solar year 1298 (1919 in the Gregorian calendar, the year of Afghan independence from the UK); a border of wheat sheaves circles the mosque; above the mosque is an Arabic inscription of the Shahada (Muslim creed), with rays of the rising sun over the Takbir (Arabic expression meaning "God is great"); under the mosque is a scroll with the name Afghanistan<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> black stands for the past, and red for the blood shed for independence; green can represent hope for the future, agricultural prosperity, or Islam<br><br><strong>history:</strong> Afghanistan had more changes to its national flag in the 20th century -- 19 by one count -- than any other country; the colors black, red, and green appeared on most of them

lion

red, green, black

<p>low-income South Asian economy; economy stable after major contraction due to Taliban takeover, but recovery remains fragile; widespread poverty and obstacles to human development; import-reliant for food, fuel, and machinery; ongoing sanctions, suspended development aid, and frozen reserve assets</p>

$17.152 billion (2023 est.)

wheat, milk, grapes, watermelons, potatoes, cantaloupes/melons, vegetables, rice, onions, maize (2023)

small-scale production of bricks, textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, apparel, food products, non-alcoholic beverages, mineral water, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper

1.8% (2023 est.)

9.133 million (2024 est.)

54.5% (2016 est.)

9.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Pakistan 42%, India 40%, China 4%, UAE 2%, Turkey 2% (2023)

coal, grapes, tropical fruits, gum resins, other nuts (2023)

UAE 28%, Pakistan 15%, China 15%, Uzbekistan 12%, Kazakhstan 9% (2023)

wheat flours, tobacco, palm oil, broadcasting equipment, synthetic fabric (2023)

under the Taliban, independent media outlets have decreased and are probably self-censoring; the Ministry of Information and Culture monitors all mass media; television and radio are key media platforms; only about a fifth of Afghans use the internet, mostly through smartphones (2023)

.af

YA

68 (2025)

8 (2025)

the Taliban claims authority over a Ministry of Defense and a National Army (aka Army of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Islamic Emirate Army, or Afghan Army); it has also formed police forces under a Ministry of Interior (2025)

the Taliban claims to have 190,000 under the Ministry of Defense and 215,000 under the Ministry of Interior (2025)

the Taliban military and security forces are equipped with armaments captured in 2021 from the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, which were largely equipped with Russian/Soviet-era and US material (2025)

service is voluntary; there is no conscription (2023)

the Taliban&rsquo;s key security priorities are border and internal security; specific issues have included tensions with Pakistan along their shared border, armed anti-Taliban resistance elements, and the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham - Khorasan (ISIS-K) terrorist group (2025)

Haqqani Network; Harakat ul-Mujahidin; Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami; Islamic Jihad Union (IJU); Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU); Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham-Khorasan Province (ISIS-K); Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)/Qods Force; Jaish-e-Mohammed; Jaysh al Adl (Jundallah); Lashkar i Jhangvi; Lashkar-e Tayyiba; al-Qa’ida; al-Qa'ida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS); Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)