Population 30.55 million (2013) Population growth rate 2.4% annual change (2013) | Life expectancy 60.51 years (2012) GNI per capita 1,960 PPP dollars (2013) | |
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Death rate 13.89 deaths/1,000 population (2015) Infant mortality rate 66.3 deaths/1,000 live births 0–14 years 42.3% (male 6,464,070/female 6,149,468) 15–64 years 55.3% (male 8,460,486/female 8,031,968) 65 and over 2.4% (male 349,349/female 380,051) Fertility rate 5.14 births per woman (2012) | ||
The population of Afghanistan is around 32 million as of 2015, which includes the 2.7 million Afghan citizens that are residing temporarily in Pakistan and Iran. The nation is composed of a multi-ethnic and multilingual society, reflecting its location astride historic trade and invasion routes between Central Asia, Southern Asia, and Western Asia. The largest ethnic group among Afghanistan's population is the Pashtuns, followed by Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks, Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch and others.
Contents
- Map of Afghanistan
- Population statistics
- Age structure
- Population growth rate
- Urbanization
- Sex ratio
- Fertility and Births
- Structure of the population
- Life expectancy at birth
- Literacy
- School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
- HIVAIDS adult prevalence rate
- HIVAIDS deaths
- Major infectious diseases
- Ethnic groups
- Languages
- Religions
- References
Map of Afghanistan
As of 2013 46% of Afghanistan's population are under 15 years of age and 74% of the population live in rural areas. The average woman gave birth to five children during her life and 6.8% of all babies died in child-birth or infancy. Life expectancy in 2013 was 60 years and only 0.1% of the population between ages 15 and 49 had HIV.
Pashto and Dari (Afghan Persian) are both the official languages of the country. Dari is mostly spoken in the Tajik- and Hazara-dominated areas, while Pashto is spoken mainly in the Pashtun tribal areas south of the Hindu Kush mountains. Uzbek and Turkmen are spoken in parts of the north. Smaller groups in various parts of the country speak about 30 other languages. Multilingualism is common throughout the country, especially in the major cities. Dari is the predominate language spoken in urban areas but language is not necessarily an indicator of an individuals ethnic or group identity since Pashto and Dari are both spoken by nearly all of the country's ethnic groups (Turkmen and Uzbeks generally constituting an exception to this rule).
Islam is the religion of more than 99% of Afghanistan's citizens. An estimated 80–90% of the population practice Sunni Islam and belong to the Hanafi Islamic law school, while 7–19% are Shia; the majority of the Shia follow the Twelver branch, with smaller numbers of Ismailis. The remaining 1% or less practice other religions such as Sikhism and Hinduism. Excluding urban populations in the principal cities, most People are organized into tribal and other kinship-based groups, who follow their own traditional customs, for instance Pashtuns Pashtunwali. The majority of the country's population lives in rural areas and is involved in agricultural activities.
Population statistics
As of 2013, the total population of Afghanistan is around 32,564,342, which includes the 2.7 million Afghan citizens that are living in Pakistan and Iran. In 2009, a nationwide survey conducted by the Afghan Central Statistics Organization (CSO) estimated that the total number of Afghans living inside Afghanistan was about 24.5 million and by 2011 it reached 26 million. Of this, 5.7 million people (some 22%) were reported to be living in urban areas and the rest in rural or countryside.
After the 1978 Marxist coup, hundreds of Afghans began leaving the country as refugees - most of these were related to the ousted president Mohammad Daoud Khan. In 1979, the population was reported to be about 15.5 million. From the start of the Soviet invasion on 24 December 1979 until the end of 1983, some 4 million people, a quarter of the population, left the country to take shelter in neighboring northwestern Pakistan and eastern Iran. The Statistical Yearbook published in 1983 by the Babrak Karmal government claimed a total population of 15.96 million for 1981–82. Some suggest that between 600,000 and 2 million Afghans were killed during the various 1979–2001 wars, majority of them during the Soviet war in the 1980s. According to the Population Reference Bureau, the Afghan population is estimated to increase to 82 million by 2050.
Urban areas are experiencing rapid population growth since the Karzai administration began in late 2001, which is mainly due to the return of over 5 million expats. The only city in Afghanistan with over a million residents is its capital, Kabul. The other largest cities in the country are shown in the chart below.
Age structure
0–14 years: 42.3% (male 6,464,070/female 6,149,468)
15–64 years: 55.3% (male 8,460,486/female 8,031,968)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 349,349/female 380,051) (2011 est.)
Population growth rate
In 1979, the population was reported to be about 15.5 million. 2.32% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 39
Urbanization
urbanization population: 24% of the total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 5.4% annual rate of change (2005–10 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Fertility and Births
Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):
Structure of the population
Structure of the population (2012.01.07) (Data refer to the settled population based on the 1979 Population Census and the latest household prelisting. The refugees of Afghanistan in Iran, Pakistan, and an estimated 1.5 million nomads, are not included):
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 60+ years (2013)
country comparison to the world: 214
male: 59 years (2013)
female: 61 years (2013)
Literacy
Definition: People over the age of 15 that can read and writeTotal population: 31% (2005 est.)Male: 43% (2005)Female: 20% (2005)School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 8 years
male: 11 years
female: 4 years (2004)
HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate
About 0% (2011 est.)
In 2008, health officials in Afghanistan reported 504 cases of people living with HIV but by the end of 2012 the numbers reached 1,327. The nation's healthy ministry stated that most of the HIV patients were among intravenous drug users and that 70% of them were men, 25% women, and the remaining 5% children. They belonged to Kabul, Kandahar and Herat, the provinces from where people make the most trips to neighboring or other foreign countries. Regarding Kandahar, 22 cases were reported in 2012. "AIDS Prevention department head Dr Hamayoun Rehman said 1,320 blood samples were examined and 21 were positive. Among the 21 patients, 18 were males and three were females who contracted the deadly virus from their husbands. He said four people had reached a critical stage while three had died. The main source of the disease was the use of syringes used by drug addicts." There are approximately 23,000 addicts in the country who inject drugs into their bodies using syringes. It is estimated that between 2,000 and 3,000 people maybe living with the deadly virus in Afghanistan.
country comparison to the world: 168
HIV/AIDS – deaths
About 11 people, most of them drug addicts.
Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high
Note: WH5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk as of 2009.
Ethnic groups
In 2013, the total population of Afghanistan was 27.5 million. An additional 3 million or so Afghans are temporarily living in neighboring Pakistan and Iran. This makes the estimated total Afghan population around 32 million. Because a systematic census has not been held in decades, exact figures about the size and composition of the various ethnic groups are unavailable. The government announced that it will issue computerized ID cards in which the ethnicity of each citizen is to be provided in the application. This process is expected to reveal the exact figures about the size and composition of the various ethnic groups living in the country.
An approximate distribution of the ethnic groups found today in Afghanistan is shown in the chart below:
The 2004–present suggested figures in the above chart are supported by recent national opinion polls, which were aimed at knowing how a group of about 804 to 7,760 local residents in Afghanistan felt about the current war, political situation, as well as the economic and social issues affecting their daily lives. Seven of the surveys were conducted between 2004 and 2012 by the Asia Foundation and one between 2004 and 2009 by a combined effort of the broadcasting companies NBC News, BBC, and ARD.
Languages
Pashto and Dari are both designated as the official languages of Afghanistan. Dari (Afghan Persian) serves as the lingua franca in Kabul, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif and other cities in northern and north-western Afghanistan. It is the language resorted to when people of different ethnic groups need to conduct business or otherwise communicate. Pashto is widely used in southern and eastern areas of the country where ethnic Pashtuns are the majority. The Afghan National Anthem is recited in Pashto. Uzbeki and Turkmeni are spoken in certain northern provinces, but mainly among the Uzbek and Turkmen tribes. Smaller number of Afghans are also fluent in Urdu, Balochi, Arabic and other languages. English is taught in schools and is gradually becoming popular among the younger generation.
An approximate distribution of languages spoken in the country is shown in the line chart below:
Based on information from the latest national opinion polls, up to 49% stated that they can speak or understand Pashto and up to 77% stated that they can speak or understand Dari. Uzbeki was spoken or understood by up to 11% and Turkmen by up to 7%. Other languages that can be spoken are Arabic (4%) and Balochi (2%)
Religions
Almost the entire Afghan population is Muslim, with less than 1% being non-Muslim. Despite attempts to secularize Afghan society, Islamic practices pervade all aspects of life. Likewise, Islamic religious tradition and codes, together with traditional practices, provide the principal means of controlling personal conduct and settling legal disputes. Islam was used as the main basis for expressing opposition to the modernization of Afghanistan by King Amanullah in the 1920s. It was also used by the mujahideen during the 1980s Soviet war in Afghanistan and by the Taliban today.