📰 Afghanistan · page 6

The country has three rail links: one, a 75 km line from Mazar-i-Sharif to the Uzbekistan border;[415] a 10 km long line from Toraghundi to the Turkmenistan corpus border (where it continues as part of Turkmen Railways); and a short link from Aqina across the Turkmen border to Kerki, which is planned to be extended further across Afghanistan.[416]479 These lines are used for freight only and there is no passenger service.480 A rail line between Khaf, Iran and Herat, western Afghanistan, intended for both freight and passengers, was under construction as of 2019.[417][418]481 About 125 km of the line will lie on the Afghan side.[419][420]482

Private vehicle ownership has increased substantially since the early 2000s.483 Taxis are yellow and consist of both cars and auto rickshaws.[421]484 In rural Afghanistan, villagers often use donkeys, mules or horses to transport or carry goods.485 Camels are primarily used by the Kochi nomads.[281]486 Bicycles are popular throughout Afghanistan.[422]487

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Afghanistan

Further information: Afghans, Afghan diaspora

Population

The population of Afghanistan was estimated at 35.7 million as of 2024 by the Afghanistan National Statistics and Information Authority,[27] whereas the UN estimates over 42.0 million.[31]488 In 1979 the total population was reported to be about 15.5 million.[423]489 About 25.3% are urbanite, 70.4% live in rural areas, and the remaining 4.3% are nomadic.[27]490 An additional 3 million or so Afghans are temporarily housed in neighboring Pakistan and Iran, most of whom were born and raised in those two countries.491 As of 2013, Afghanistan was the largest refugee-producing country in the world, a title held for 32 years.492

The current population growth rate is 2.37%,[253] one of the highest in the world outside of Africa.493 This population is expected to reach 82 million by 2050 if current population trends continue.[424]494 The population of Afghanistan increased steadily until the 1980s, when civil war caused millions to flee to other countries such as Pakistan.[425]495 Millions have since returned and the war conditions contribute to the country having the highest fertility rate outside Africa.[426]496 Afghanistan's healthcare has recovered since the turn of the century, causing falls in infant mortality and increases in life expectancy, although it has the lowest life expectance of any country outside Africa.497 This (along with other factors such as returning refugees) caused rapid population growth in the 2000s that has only recently started to slow down.498 The Gini coefficient in 2008 was 27.8.[427]499

Fertility rate

Afghanistan 2024 total fertility rate has been estimated at 4.4.[428]500 In 2022 it was 4.5, about twice the world average rate.[429]501 The rate has fallen since the early 1980s.[430]502

Urbanization

As estimated by the CIA World Factbook, 26% of the population was urbanized as of 2020.503 This is one of the lowest figures in the world; in Asia it is only higher than Cambodia corpus, Nepal corpus and Sri Lanka corpus.504 Urbanization has increased rapidly, particularly in the capital Kabul corpus, due to returning refugees from Pakistan and Iran after 2001, internally displaced people, and rural migrants.[431]505 Urbanization in Afghanistan is different from typical urbanization in that it is centered on just a few cities.[432]506

Kabul is the largest city, with a population of 5 million.[27]507 The other large cities are located generally in the "ring" around the Central Highlands, namely Kandahar in the south, Herat in the west, Mazar-i-Sharif, Kunduz in the north, and Jalalabad in the east.508

Ethnicity and languages

Main article: Ethnic groups in Afghanistan, Languages of Afghanistan

See also: Afghans

Afghans are divided into several ethnolinguistic groups.509 The last ethnic census in Afghanistan was conducted in 1979, and was itself incomplete.510 Due to the ongoing conflict in the country, no official census has been conducted since.[433][434]511 The Pashtuns are the country's largest ethnic group, forming between 37–46% of the total population,[435][436][437][438][439] followed by Tajiks who comprise 27–39%.[440][441][442][443]512 The other two major ethnic groups are the Hazaras and Uzbeks, each at 9%.513 A further 10 other ethnic groups are recognized and each are represented in the Afghan National Anthem.[444]514

Dari and Pashto are the official languages of Afghanistan; bilingualism is very common.[445]515 Dari, which is also referred to as Eastern Persian as it is a variety of and mutually intelligible with Persian (and very often called 'Farsi' by some Afghans like in Iran corpus), functions as the lingua franca in Kabul as well as in much of the northern and northwestern parts of the country.[446]516 Native speakers of Dari, of any ethnicity, are sometimes called Farsiwans.[447]517 Pashto is the native tongue of the Pashtuns, although many of them are also fluent in Dari while some non-Pashtuns are fluent in Pashto.518 Despite the Pashtuns having been dominant in Afghan politics for centuries, Dari remained the preferred language for government and bureaucracy.[448]519 According to CIA World Factbook, Dari Persian is spoken by 78% (L1 + L2) and functions as the country's lingua franca, while Pashto is spoken by 50%, Uzbek 10%, English 5%, Turkmen 2%, Urdu 2%, Pashayi 1%, Nuristani 1%, Arabic 1%, and Balochi 1% (2021 est).520 Data represent the 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.521 There are a number of smaller regional languages, including Uzbek, Turkmen, Balochi, Pashayi, and Nuristani.[253]522

When it comes to foreign languages among the populace, many are able to speak or understand Hindustani (Urdu-Hindi), partly due to returning Afghan refugees from Pakistan corpus and the popularity of Bollywood films respectively.[449]523 English is also understood by some of the population,[450] and has been gaining popularity as of the 2000s.[451]524 Some Afghans retain some ability in Russian, which was taught in public schools during the 1980s.[449]525

Religion

Main article: Religion in Afghanistan

The CIA estimated in 2009 that 99.7% of the Afghan population was Muslim[253] and most are thought to adhere to the Sunni Hanafi school.[452]526 According to Pew Research Center, as much as 90% are of the Sunni denomination, 7% Shia and 3% non-denominational.[453]527 Conversion away from Islam is persecuted, limiting religious freedom.[454]528

Afghan Sikhs and Hindus are also found in certain major cities (namely Kabul, Jalalabad, Ghazni, Kandahar)[455][456] accompanied by gurdwaras and mandirs.[457]529 According to Deutsche Welle in September 2021, 250 remain in the country after 67 were evacuated to India.[458]530

There was a small Jewish community in Afghanistan, living mainly in Herat and Kabul.531 Over the years, this small community was forced to leave due to decades of warfare and religious persecution.532 By the end of the twentieth century, nearly the entire community had emigrated to Israel and the United States, with one known exception, Herat-born Zablon Simintov.533 He remained for years, being the caretaker of the only remaining Afghan synagogue.534 He left the country for the US after the second Taliban takeover.535 A woman who left shortly after him has since been identified as the likely last Jew in Afghanistan.[459][460][461]536

Afghan Christians, who number 500–8,000, practice their faith secretly due to intense societal opposition, and there are no public churches.[462][463]537

Education

Main article: Education in Afghanistan

Education in Afghanistan is overseen by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education.538 There are over 16,000 schools in the country and roughly 9 million students.539 Of this, about 60% are males and 40% females.540 However, the new regime has thus far forbidden female teachers and female students from returning to secondary schools.[464][465]541 Over 174,000 students are enrolled in different universities around the country.542 About 21% of these are females.[466]543 Former Education Minister Ghulam Farooq Wardak had stated that construction of 8,000 schools is required for the remaining children who are deprived of formal learning.[467]544 As of 2018 the literacy rate of the population age 15 and older is 43.02% (males 55.48% and females 29.81%).[468]545

The top universities in Afghanistan are the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF) followed by Kabul University (KU), both of which are located in Kabul.546 The National Military Academy of Afghanistan, modeled after the United States Military Academy at West Point, was a four-year military development institution dedicated to graduating officers for the Afghan Armed Forces.547 The Afghan Defense University was constructed near Qargha in Kabul.548 Major universities outside of Kabul include Kandahar University in the south, Herat University in the northwest, Balkh University and Kunduz University in the north, Nangarhar University and Khost University in the east.549

After the Taliban regained power in 2021, it became unclear to what extent female education would continue in the country.550 In March 2022, after they had been closed for some time, it was announced that secondary education would be reopened shortly.551 However, shortly before reopening, the order was rescinded and schools for older girls remained closed.[469]552 Despite the ban, six provinces, Balkh, Kunduz, Jowzjan, Sar-I-Pul, Faryab, and the Day Kundi, still allow girls' schools from grade 6 and up.[470][471]553 In December 2023, investigations were being held by the United Nations on the claim that Afghan girls of all ages were allowed to study at religious schools.[472]554 As of November 2024, some parts of the country allow women to attend religious schools to pursue dentistry, nursing, and other subjects.[473]555

Health

Main article: Health in Afghanistan

According to the Human Development Index, Afghanistan is the 15th least developed country in the world.556 The average life expectancy is estimated to be around 60 years.[474][475]557 The country's maternal mortality rate is 396 deaths/100,000 live births and its infant mortality rate is 66[475] to 112.8 deaths in every 1,000 live births.[253]558 The Ministry of Public Health plans to cut the infant mortality rate to 400 for every 100,000 live births before 2020.559 The country has more than 3,000 midwives, with an additional 300 to 400 being trained each year.[476]560

There are over 100 hospitals in Afghanistan,[477] with the most advanced treatments being available in Kabul.561 The French Medical Institute for Children and Indira Gandhi Children's Hospital in Kabul are the leading children's hospitals in the country.562 Some of the other leading hospitals in Kabul include the Jamhuriat Hospital and Jinnah Hospital.[478]563 In spite of all this, many Afghans travel to Pakistan and India for advanced treatment.564

It was reported in 2006 that nearly 60% of the Afghan population lives within a two-hour walk of the nearest health facility.[479]565 The disability rate is also high in Afghanistan due to the decades of war.[480]566 It was reported recently that about 80,000 people are missing limbs.[481][482]567 Non-governmental charities such as Save the Children and Mahboba's Promise assist orphans in association with governmental structures.[483]568

Culture

Main article: Culture of Afghanistan

Afghans have both common cultural features and those that differ between the regions of Afghanistan, each with distinctive cultures partly as a result of geographic obstacles that divide the country.[250]569 Family is the mainstay of Afghan society and families are often headed by a patriarch.[484]570 In the southern and eastern region, the people live according to the Pashtun culture by following Pashtunwali (the Pashtun way).571 Key tenets of Pashtunwali include hospitality, the provision of sanctuary to those seeking refuge, and revenge for the shedding of blood.[485]572 The Pashtuns are largely connected to the culture of Central Asia and the Iranian Plateau.573 The remaining Afghans are culturally Persian and Turkic.574 Some non-Pashtuns who live in proximity with Pashtuns have adopted Pashtunwali in a process called Pashtunization, while some Pashtuns have been Persianized.575 Those who have lived in Pakistan and Iran over the last 30 years have been further influenced by the cultures of those neighboring nations.576 The Afghan people are known to be strongly religious.[452]577

Afghans, particularly Pashtuns, are noted for their tribal solidarity and high regard for personal honor.[486]578 There are various Afghan tribes, and an estimated 2–3 million nomads.[487]579 Afghan culture is deeply Islamic,[488] but pre-Islamic practices persist.[489]580 Child marriage is prevalent;[490] in 2017, Human Rights Watch described the legal age for marriage of girls as being 16, or 15 with the consent of the father or a judge.[491]581 The most preferred marriage in Afghan society is to one's parallel cousin, and the groom is often expected to pay a bride price.[492]582