Afghanistan

Table of Contents

Introduction & Quick Facts
Land
- Relief
  - The Hindu Kush
  - Physiographic regions
- Drainage
- Soils
- Climate
- Plant and animal life
People
- Ethnic groups
- Languages
- Religion
- Settlement patterns
  - Urban settlement
  - Rural settlement
- Demographic trends
Economy
- Overview
  - The Soviet legacy
  - Economic collapse
- Agriculture and forestry
- Resources and power
- Manufacturing
- Finance
- Trade
- Services
- Labour and taxation
- Transportation and telecommunications
Government and society
- Constitutional framework
- Political process
  - Local government
  - Informal institutions and justice
  - Weak central government
- Security
- Health and welfare
- Housing
- Education
Cultural life
- Daily life and social customs
- The arts and cultural institutions
- Sports and recreation
- Media and publishing
History
- Prehistory
- Historical beginnings (to the 7th century ce)
  - The Achaemenids and the Greeks
  - The Kushāns
  - The Sāsānids and Hephthalites
- The 7th–18th centuries
  - The first Muslim dynasties
  - The Mongol invasion
  - Later dynasties
- Last Afghan empire
  - Overthrow of foreign rule
    - The Hotakis
    - Nādir Shah
  - The Durrānī dynasty
    - Zamān Shah (1793–1800)
    - Shah Maḥmūd (1800–03; 1809–18)
  - The rise of the Bārakzay
    - Dōst Moḥammad (1826–39; 1843–63)
    - Shīr ʿAlī (1863–66; 1868–79)
    - Yaʿqūb Khan (1879)
  - Modern Afghanistan
    - ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Khan (1880–1901)
    - Ḥabībullāh Khan (1901–19)
    - Amānullāh (1919–29)
    - Moḥammad Nāder Shah (1929–33)
    - Mohammad Zahir Shah (1933–73)
- Afghanistan since 1973
  - The Republic of Afghanistan (1973–78)
  - Civil war, communist phase (1978–92)
  - Civil war, mujahideen-Taliban phase (1992–2001)
  - Struggle for democracy
    - U.S.-led invasion and toppling of the Taliban
    - The Hamid Karzai presidency, NATO takeover, and Taliban resurgence
    - NATO troop surge and continued stalemate
    - The Ashraf Ghani presidency, NATO withdrawal, and pursuit of peace

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images

Mazār-e Sharīf, Afghanistan: Blue Mosque

Afghanistan: Ethnolinguistic composition

Afghanistan: Religious affiliation

Mazār-e Sharīf, Afghanistan: Blue Mosque

Afghanistan: Urban-rural

Afghanistan: Age breakdown

For Students

Afghanistan summary

Discover

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Afghanistan: Facts & Stats

Written and fact-checked by The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: May 29, 2025

News •

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Facts

Also Known As	Jomhūrī-ye Eslāmī-ye Afghānestān • Republic of Afghanistan • Da Afghānestān Jamhawrīyat • Da Afghānestān Eslāmī Jamhūrīyat • Islamic State of Afghanistan • Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan • Islamic Republic of Afghanistan • Dowlat-e Eslāmī-ye Afghānestān
Head Of State And Government	President: Ashraf Ghani; de facto leader Hibatullah Akhundzada⁴
Capital	Kabul
Population	(2025 est.) 36,432,000
Form Of Government	Islamic republic¹ with two legislative houses (House of Elders [102²]; House of the People [250³]); de facto transitional government⁴
Official Languages	Dari; Pashto⁵
Official Religion	Islam
Official Name	Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Jomhūrī-ye Eslāmī-ye Afghānestān [Dari]; Da Afghanestan Eslami Jamhuriyat [Pashto]); de facto, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Emārat Eslāmī-ye Afghānestān [Dari]); Da Afghanestan Eslami Imarat [Pashto])¹
Total Area (Sq Km)	652,867
Total Area (Sq Mi)	252,072
Monetary Unit	afghani (Af)
Population Rank	(2025) 41
Population Projection 2030	39,330,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi	(2025) 144.5
Density: Persons Per Sq Km	(2025) 55.8
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2022–2023) 25% • Rural: (2022–2023) 75%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2022) 63.8 years • Female: (2022) 66.7 years
Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 15 And Over Literate	Male: (2021) 52% • Female: (2022) 27%
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000)	(2023) 15,614
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2023) 380
¹The internationally recognized Islamic Republic of Afghanistan was established by the constitution promulgated on January 26, 2004. On September 7, 2021, the Taliban declared the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and formed the country’s de facto government.²Thirty-four members are appointed by the president, while the remainder are indirectly elected.³Three seats are reserved for Kuchis, Afghan Pashtun nomads.⁴Since September 7, 2021, following the Taliban’s takeover of the country.⁵Six additional locally official languages per the 2004 constitution are Uzbek, Turkmen, Balochi, Nuristani, Pashai, and Pamiri.

Photos

Mazār-e Sharīf, Afghanistan: Blue Mosque

Mazār-e Sharīf, Afghanistan: Blue Mosque

Kabul: Ministry of Public Health

Kabul: outdoor theatre

Bamiyan, Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Bamiyan valley

Bagrām, Afghanistan: ivory carving of a yakshi

National anthem of Afghanistan

See All Images, Audio and Interactives →

Topics

Ghaznavid dynasty Shāhi Family Bārakzay dynasty Third Anglo-Afghan War First Anglo-Afghan War Second Anglo-Afghan War League of Nations Afghanistan War nation-state Anglo-Afghan Wars United States India United Kingdom China Canada Russia Germany Australia Japan France

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