Demographics of Afghanistan
The population of Afghanistan is around 37,135,635 in 2019, which includes the roughly 3 million Afghan citizens living as refugees in both 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. Ethnic groups are Tajik, Pashtun, Hazara, Uzbek, Aimak, Turkmen, Baloch and a few others.
Approximately 46% of the population is under 15 years of age, and 74% of all Afghans live in rural areas. The average woman gives birth to five children during her entire life, the highest fertility rate outside of Africa. 6.8% of all babies die in child-birth or infancy. Life expectancy was reported in 2015 at 60.5 years and only 0.04% of the population has HIV.
Dari and Pashto are both the official languages of the country.
Dari, which is known as the Afghan Persian, functions as the lingua franca. Pashto is widely used in the region south of the Hindu Kush mountains and the Indus River in neighboring Pakistan. Uzbek and Turkmen are smaller languages spoken in parts of the north. Multilingualism is common throughout the country, especially in the major cities.
Islam is the religion of more than 99% of Afghanistan's citizens. Roughly 70% of the population practice Sunni Islam and belong to the Hanafi Islamic law school, while 25–35% are followers of Shia Islam; the majority of whom belong to 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. The majority of the country's population lives in rural areas and is involved in agricultural activities.
History
The first census of Afghanistan was carried out only in 1979 year, but before that there were scattered attempts to conduct censuses in individual cities. According to the 1876 year census, Kabul had a population of 140 700 people. In Kandahar in 1891 year a population census was carried out, according to which 31 514 people lived in the city, of which 16 064 were men and 15 450 were women.Population statistics
As of 2019, the total population of Afghanistan is around 37,135,635, which includes the 3 million Afghan nationals living in both Pakistan and Iran. Afghanistan's Central Statistics Organization stated in 2011 that the total number of Afghans living inside Afghanistan was about 26 million and by 2017 it reached 29.2 million. Of this, 15 million are males and 14.2 million are females. About 22% of the population is urbanite and the remaining 78% live in rural areas.The population was reported in 1979 at about 15.5 million. From 1979 until the end of 1983, some 5 million people left the country to take shelter in neighboring northwestern Pakistan and eastern Iran. This exodus was largely unchecked by any government. The Afghan government in 1983 reported a population of 15.96 million, which presumably included the exodus.
It is assumed that roughly 600,000 to as high as 2 million Afghans may have been killed during the various 1979–2001 wars. These figures are highly questionable and no attempt has ever been made to verify them. The country's population is expected to reach 82 million by 2050.
Urban areas have experienced rapid population growth in the last decade, which is 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%15–64 years: 55.3%
65 years and over: 2.4%
Population growth rate
In 1979, the population was reported to be about 15.5 million.2.32%
country comparison to the world: 39
Urbanization
urbanization population: 24% of the total populationrate of urbanization: 5.4% annual rate of change
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male/femaleunder 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15–64 years: 1.05 male/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male/female
total population: 1.05 male/female
Vital statistics
UN estimates
Fertility and births
Total Fertility Rate and Crude Birth Rate :| Year | CBR | TFR | CBR | TFR | CBR | TFR |
| 2010 | 35.6 | 5.1 | 34.7 | 4.5 | 35.9 | 5.2 |
| 2015 | 36.8 | 5.3 | 35.8 | 4.8 | 37.1 | 5.4 |
Fertility data by province :
| Province | Total fertility rate |
| Kabul | 4.6 |
| Kapisa | 4.8 |
| Parwan | 5.7 |
| Wardak | 4.2 |
| Logar | 4.2 |
| Nangarhar | 6.4 |
| Laghman | 7.3 |
| Panjshir | 3.2 |
| Baghlan | 4.4 |
| Bamyan | 5.4 |
| Ghazni | 2.8 |
| Paktika | 5.3 |
| Paktia | 5.2 |
| Khost | 5.6 |
| Kunar | 6.8 |
| Nuristan | 8.9 |
| Badakhshan | 5.3 |
| Takhar | 5.7 |
| Kunduz | 4.4 |
| Samangan | 5.1 |
| Balkh | 5.5 |
| Sar-e Pol | 4.8 |
| Ghor | 5.8 |
| Daykundi | 5.2 |
| Urozgan | 8.8 |
| Zabul | 5.1 |
| Kandahar | 6.5 |
| Jawzjan | 3.9 |
| Faryab | 6.2 |
| Helmand | 4.7 |
| Badghis | 6.6 |
| Herat | 4.8 |
| Farah | 5.4 |
| Nimruz | 5.4 |
Structure of the population
Structure of the population :Life expectancy
total population:60.5 years
country comparison to the world: 214
male: 59.3 years
female: 61.9 years
| Period | Life expectancy in Years | Period | Life expectancy in Years |
| 1950–1955 | 28.6 | 1985–1990 | 47.7 |
| 1955–1960 | 31.1 | 1990–1995 | 51.7 |
| 1960–1965 | 33.4 | 1995–2000 | 54.2 |
| 1965–1970 | 35.6 | 2000–2005 | 56.9 |
| 1970–1975 | 37.8 | 2005–2010 | 60.0 |
| 1975–1980 | 40.4 | 2010–2015 | 62.3 |
| 1980–1985 | 43.6 |
Source: UN World Population Prospects
Development and health indicators
Literacy
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 11 yearsmale: 13 years
female: 8 years
HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate
0.04%HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS
Up to 6,900In 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 and 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
country comparison to the world: 168
HIV/AIDS – deaths
Up to 300Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: high- Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
- Vector-borne diseases: malaria
- Animal contact diseases: rabies
Ethnic groups
In August 2017, a nationwide distribution of e-ID cards began. The ethnicity of each citizen is provided in the application. This process reveals the exact figures about the size and composition of the country's ethnic groups.Article Four of the Afghan Constitution mentions a total of 14 ethnic groups. An approximate distribution of the ethnolinguistic groups is shown in the map to the right and listed in the chart below:
| Ethnic group | Image | Recent estimate | Pre-2004 estimates |
| Pashtun | 35% | 30–32% | |
| Tajik | 29% | 26% | |
| Hazara | 20%-25% | 19%-23% | |
| Uzbek | 15-20% | 14-18% | |
| Aimak | 6% | 3% | |
| Turkmen | 5-10% | 2.5% | |
| Baloch | 10% | 8% | |
| Others | 4% | 7% |
The recent estimate in the above chart is some what supported by the below national opinion polls, which were aimed at knowing how a group of about 804 to 8,706 local residents in Afghanistan felt about the current war, political situation, as well as the economic and social issues affecting their daily lives. Ten surveys were conducted between 2004 and 2015 by the Asia Foundation and one between 2004 and 2009 by a combined effort of the broadcasting companies NBC News, BBC, and ARD.
| Ethnic group | "Afghanistan: Where Things Stand" | "A survey of the Afghan people" | "A survey of the Afghan people" | "A survey of the Afghan people" | "A survey of the Afghan people" | "A survey of the Afghan people" |
| Pashtun | 38-46% | 40.9% | 40% | 40% | 40% | 37% |
| Tajik | 37-39% | 37.1% | 35% | 33% | 36% | 37% |
| Hazara | 15% | 17% | 116-18% | 18% | 20% | 25% |
| Uzbek | 8% | 10% | 13% | 14% | 14% | 15% |
| Aimak | 0-0% | 0.1% | 1% | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| Turkmen | 1-2% | 1.7% | 3% | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Baloch | 2% | 5% | 6% | 6% | 8% | 10% |
| Others | 0-4% | 1.4% | 2% | 3% | 5% | 5% |
| No opinion | 0-2% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Afghans in history, present and of descent
There have been many notable Pashtuns in history and present including: Khushal Khattak who is regarded as the "Father of Pashto literature" and the "National poet of Afghanistan", Ahmad Shah Durrani who is considered the "Founder of the modern state of Afghanistan", Mirwais Hotak who is referred to as "Mirwais the father", Wazir Akbar Khan, Malalai of Maiwand who is known as "The Afghan Jeanne D'Arc", Amanullah Khan, the Afghan Girl and Abdul Ahad Mohmand was the first Afghan in space and spoke the fourth language in space. Sportmens include; Rashid Khan who is captain of the Afghanistan national cricket team, other cricketers such as Hazratullah Zazai, Usman Ghani and Nasratullah Nasrat. Ahmad Zahir is regarded as the "King of Afghan music", Naghma who is considered to be the "Greatest female artist in Afghanistan". There are many Indian actors who have partial ancestry hailing from Afghanistan including; Shah Rukh Khan who is referred to in the media as the "King of Bollywood", Salman Khan who is cited in the media as one of the most commercially successful actors of both world and Indian cinema, Kader Khan and Irrfan Khan. Others include; Imran Khan and Malala Yousafzai.Some famous Afghan Tajik people throughout history and present include: Ahmad Shah Massoud who was awarded the "National hero of Afghanistan" and is considered one of the greatest guerilla leaders of the 20th century, Siyar Bahadurzada and Nasrat Haqparast who are competitors at the Ultimate Fighting Championship, some footballers who play around the world are Nadia Nadim, Nadiem Amiri and Mustafa Amini. Hammasa Kohistani was the first Afghan/Muslim model to win Miss England.
Languages
and Dari are both the official languages of Afghanistan. Dari, which is recognized as the Afghan Persian, serves as the lingua franca in majority of Afghanistan. It is the language resorted to when people of different ethnic groups need to conduct business or otherwise communicate, and spoken natively by the Tajik, Hazara, and Aimak population; overall 80% of the population can speak Farsi. Pashto is widely used in south eastern and eastern areas of the country where ethnic Pashtuns are the majority, including by majority of the Pakistani Pashtuns and Afghans in Pakistan. The Afghan National Anthem is recited in Pashto.Uzbeki and Turkmeni are spoken in certain parts of the northern provinces, 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:
| Language | Recent estimate | Pre-1992 estimates |
| Dari | 85% | 85-90% |
| Pashto | 20% | 50-55% |
| Uzbek | 8.5% | 9% |
| Turkmen | 2.5% | 500,000 speakers |
| 30 others | 4% | 4% |
Based on information from the latest national opinion polls, up to 51% stated that they can speak or understand Pashto and up to 79% 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 and Balochi.
Religion
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–Afghan War and by the Taliban today.The members of Sikh and Hindu communities are mostly concentrated in urban areas. They numbered hundreds of thousands in the 1970s but over 90% have since fled due to the Afghan wars and persecution.
- Islam: 99.7% of the total population
- *Sunni Muslim: 65–70%
- *Shia Muslim: 27–35%
- others: less than 1%
- *Baha'is in the hundreds
- *Sikhism: In the thousands
- *Hinduism: In the thousands
- *Zoroastrianism: Unknown/unreported
- *Christianity: Unknown
- *Judaism
- *Buddhism: Unknown
| Religion | "A survey of the Afghan people" | "A survey of the Afghan people" | "A survey of the Afghan people" | "A survey of the Afghan people" | "A survey of the Afghan people" | "A survey of the Afghan people" | "A survey of the Afghan people" | "A survey of the Afghan people" |
| Sunni Islam | 65% | 67.9% | 67% | " | " | " | " | " |
| Shia Islam | 27% | 30.4% | 32% | " | " | " | " | " |
| Ismailism | 1% | 1.2% | 0% | " | " | " | " | " |
| Hinduism | 0% | 0.1% | 0% | " | " | " | " | " |
| Buddhism | 0% | 0.1% | 0% | " | " | " | " | " |
| Sikhism | 0% | 0.1% | 0% | " | " | " | " | " |