Afghanistan 
Facts
Population: 31,889,923 (July 2007 est.).
Age structure: 0-14 years: 44.6% (male 7,282,600/female 6,940,378)
15-64 years: 53% (male 8,668,170/female 8,227,387)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 374,426/female 396,962) (2007 est.).
Population growth rate: 2.625% (2007 est.).
Birth rate: 46.21 births/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Death rate: 19.96 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.049 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.054 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.943 male(s)/female
total population: 1.049 male(s)/female (2007 est.).
Infant mortality rate: total: 157.43 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 161.81 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 152.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.).
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 43.77 years
male: 43.6 years
female: 43.96 years (2007 est.).
Total fertility rate: 6.64 children born/woman (2007 est.).
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.01% (2001 est.).
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA.
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA.
Nationality: noun: Afghan(s)
adjective: Afghan.
Ethnic groups: Pashtun 42%, Tajik 27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen 3%, Baloch 2%, other 4%.
Religions: Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 19%, other 1%.
Languages: Afghan Persian or Dari (official) 50%, Pashtu (official) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism.
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 28.1%
male: 43.1%
female: 12.6% (2000 est.).
GDP (purchasing power parity): $21.5 billion (2004 est.).
GDP - real growth rate: 8% (2006 est.).
GDP - per capita (PPP): $800 (2004 est.).
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 38%
industry: 24%
services: 38%
note: data exclude opium production (2005 est.).
Labor force: 15 million (2004 est.).
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 80%
industry: 10%
services: 10% (2004 est.).
Population below poverty line: 53% (2003).
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%.
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 16.3% (2005 est.).
Unemployment rate: 40% (2005 est.).
Budget: revenues: $269 million
expenditures: $561 million; including capital expenditures of $41.7 million
note: Afghanistan has also received $273 million from the Reconstruction Trust Fund and $63 million from the Law and Order Trust Fund (FY04/05 budget est.).
Agriculture - products: opium, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins.
Industries: small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper.
Industrial production growth rate: NA%.
Electricity - production: 734.3 million kWh (2004).
Electricity - consumption: 782.9 million kWh (2004).
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004).
Electricity - imports: 100 million kWh (2004).
Exports: $471 million; note - not including illicit exports or reexports (2005 est.).
Exports - commodities: opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems.
Exports - partners: US 25.8%, India 21.2%, Pakistan 20.3%, Finland 4.1% (2005).
Imports: $3.87 billion (2005 est.).
Imports - commodities: capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products.
Imports - partners: Pakistan 39%, US 9.6%, Germany 5.6%, India 5.3%, Turkey 4.2%, Turkmenistan 4.1% (2005).
Debt - external: $8 billion in bilateral debt, mostly to Russia; Afghanistan has $500 million in debt to Multilateral Development Banks (2004).
Economic aid - recipient: international pledges made by more than 60 countries and international financial institutions at the Berlin Donors Conference for Afghan reconstruction in March 2004 reached $8.9 billion for 2004-09.
Currency (code): afghani (AFA).
Exchange rates: afghanis per US dollar - 46 (2006), 47.7 (2005), 48 (2004), 49 (2003), 41 (2002)
note: in 2002, the afghani was revalued and the currency stabilized at about 40 to 50 afghanis to the US dollar; before 2002, the market rate varied widely from the official rate.
Fiscal year: 21 March - 20 March.
Statistics: C.I.A. World Factbook. Updated: July 20, 2007.
Press
(Farsi-language daily), Kabul
http://www.8am.af/
(Advocacy web site for Afghan Women), Kabul
http://www.afghanwomensnetwork.org
Aina-E-Zan (Women's Mirror)
(Weekly Newspaper for Women), Kabul
(Daily Newspaper), Kabul
http://www.anisdaily.com/
(English language online publication), Kabul
http://www.e-ariana.com
(non-governmental press agency), Kabul
http://kabulpress.org/
(Independent news agency), Kabul
http://www.pajhwok.com/
Afghanistan in the News
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