Afghanistan profile

Demography and Health

Afghanistan’s population stood at about 42.6 million in 2024, placing the country roughly in the mid‑range by world population. The demographic profile is young and growing rapidly, underscored by a high birth rate of 35.4 births per 1,000 people in 2023. This strong fertility, combined with other mortality indicators, suggests a large cohort entering adulthood in coming years, but it also intensifies the demand for health, education, and job creation. Life expectancy at birth is around 66 years, with a crude death rate of 5.8 per 1,000 and a notably high under‑five mortality rate of 55.5 per 1,000 live births, signaling substantial child‑health and nutrition challenges. About 30.4% of the population was undernourished in 2022, indicating significant food security risks that can constrain physical and cognitive development over the long term. Health financing appears sizable relative to GDP—current health expenditure accounts for 23.1% of GDP, and domestic health spending per capita on a PPP basis is about 3.01 international dollars—yet capacity constraints are evident: hospital beds are extremely scarce at 0.36 per 1,000 people, and life expectancy remains restrained by the combination of limited infrastructure and persistent disease burden. Internet access is modest at 17.7% of the population, reflecting digital divides that can affect access to information and services. Migration is negative, with net outflows of roughly 44,000 people in 2024, hinting at a potential brain drain and a shrinking domestic labor pool that could hinder progress in health, education, and productivity without targeted retention and recruitment measures. Taken together, the health and demography data reflect a young, rapidly growing population facing substantial nutrition and health service gaps, amplified by limited infrastructure, capacity, and governance to translate demographic potential into durable development gains.

Economy

The economy appears small and fragile when viewed through the lens of per‑person income and trade intensities. GDP per capita stands at about 414 current US dollars in 2023, while GDP per capita at PPP is around 2,202 international dollars, signaling a low standard of living even as purchasing power improves somewhat in relative terms. Export activity is limited, with exports of goods and services totaling roughly 16.9% of GDP in 2023, and imports absorbing about 50.7% of GDP, indicating a highly import‑dependent economy that relies on external goods and services to meet domestic needs. Inflation turned negative in 2024 at −6.6%, a deflationary signal that can reflect shifting price dynamics, currency pressures, or data volatility in a volatile macroeconomic environment. Unemployment stood at 5.68% in 2021, suggesting potential underutilization of the available labor pool given the country’s capacity constraints and security challenges. Foreign direct investment net inflows were modest, at about 0.144% of GDP in 2021, underscoring limited investment inflows that constrain productive capacity expansion. The country invests a notable share of its energy and social spending into health and related services, but the overall growth trajectory is hampered by weak governance indicators and an extremely low hospital capacity, which together impede broad‑based productivity gains. The economy’s structure and performance reflect a heavy reliance on external financing, import demand, and limited domestic market depth, making resilience and diversification urgent priorities.

Trade and Investment

Afghanistan’s trade profile is characterized by high import dependence and relatively small export orientation. Exports of goods and services equate to about 16.9% of GDP in 2023, while imports account for about 50.7% of GDP, pointing to a persistently import‑driven economy with vulnerability to external price shocks and supply disruptions. The country’s capacity to attract foreign direct investment is limited, with net inflows at only about 0.144% of GDP in 2021, implying a subdued investment climate and constrained capital formation at the national level. Trade logistics and infrastructure quality are weak, as reflected by a Logistics Performance Index score of 1.7 (on a 1–5 scale, where higher is better) in 2022, indicating substantial bottlenecks in the movement of goods and services, insufficient trade corridors, and high costs for import and export processes. A high import intensity, combined with weak governance dimensions such as negative scores for regulatory quality (−1.27), rule of law (−1.65), and control of corruption (−1.15), further dampens investor confidence and trade efficiency. These factors collectively reduce Afghanistan’s competitiveness in regional and global markets and suggest that any expansion in trade will require reforms in trade facilitation, commercial governance, and security conditions. The digital dimension is also limited, with only 17.7% of the population using the Internet, which can constrain e‑commerce potential and the speed at which trade processes modernize. Overall, the trade and investment environment presents significant headwinds from infrastructure, governance, and market scale, but reforms in logistics, governance reforms, and targeted investment could gradually improve openness and efficiency.

Governance and Institutions

Afghanistan exhibits profoundly challenging governance and institutional conditions, with multiple indicators signaling weak state functions. In 2023–2024, political stability and absence of violence/terrorism score −2.48, placing the country among the least stable on the global index. Regulatory quality is −1.27, rule of law −1.65, and control of corruption −1.15, while government effectiveness is −1.99, all indicating substantial policy uncertainty, weak enforcement, and limited capacities to deliver public goods. These numbers translate into a fragile policy environment where reforms can be difficult to sustain, public resources may be misallocated or underutilized, and governance gaps constrain service delivery, investment, and social protection programs. The combination of political fragility and weak institutions tends to elevate risk for both domestic actors and international partners, potentially distorting incentives for private investment and long‑term development planning. Against this backdrop, the poor governance indicators align with other structural weaknesses—such as low health capacity and underdeveloped infrastructure—creating a reinforcing cycle of fragility, limited citizen trust, and restricted economic opportunity. Addressing governance and institutional capacity would thus be central to stabilizing the policy framework necessary for resilient growth, human development, and sustainable investment flows.

Infrastructure and Technology

Afghanistan’s infrastructure and technology landscape is characterized by severe constraints. Health infrastructure is particularly scarce, with hospital beds at just 0.36 per 1,000 people in 2021, indicating limited access to basic inpatient care and a potential bottleneck for responding to health emergencies. The Internet is accessible to only about 17.7% of the population in 2023, revealing a substantial digital divide that limits education, information access, financial inclusion, and e‑commerce opportunities. The Logistics Performance Index score of 1.7 in 2022 underscores poor trade and transport infrastructure and weak logistics capabilities, which raise the cost of doing business and limit export competitiveness. Renewable energy accounts for about 20% of total final energy consumption in 2022, suggesting a modest share of cleaner energy in a still energy‑constrained system. Water stress is high, with freshwater withdrawal at 54.8% of available resources in 2021, highlighting vulnerabilities in water management that could threaten agricultural productivity and urban supply. Total greenhouse gas emissions per capita are low at about 0.711 t CO2e, consistent with a small, low‑industrial economy, but climate vulnerability and drought risk remain a concern for future development. Domestic health expenditures per capita (PPP) are about 3.01 international dollars, while total health spending remains a high share of GDP, suggesting that resource allocation is stretched thin in the face of infrastructure gaps. In short, the infrastructure and technology picture reveals a country with critical deficits in healthcare facilities, digital connectivity, and logistics, compounded by environmental stresses and a growing, young population demanding upgraded services and connectivity.

Environment and Sustainability

Environmental and sustainability indicators reveal a mixture of vulnerabilities and modest gains. The prevalence of undernourishment stands at 30.4% of the population in 2022, highlighting persistent food insecurity that intersects with poverty, climate risk, and water availability. Water stress is acute, with freshwater withdrawal at 54.8% of available resources in 2021, signaling significant competition for water across agriculture, domestic, and industrial uses and raising concerns about resilience to droughts and climate variability. Remaining greenhouse gas emissions per capita are relatively low at about 0.711 t CO2e, consistent with a low‑income, low‑industrial structure, but this does not imply environmental neglect; rather, it points to a heavy reliance on traditional energy and the potential for future emissions growth if development accelerates without a parallel shift to cleaner sources. The country’s renewable energy share stands at 20% of total final energy consumption in 2022, reflecting some diversification toward cleaner energy, yet the overall energy transition remains in early stages given supply constraints and affordability. The combination of high population pressure, significant undernourishment, water stress, and climate risk suggests a fragile environment for sustainable development; achieving resilience will require integrated water resource management, climate‑smart agricultural practices, investment in energy access and efficiency, and policies that align environmental protection with economic and social objectives. These dynamics imply that progress in health, education, and income will be closely linked to how well governance, infrastructure, and natural resource management align with long‑term sustainability goals.