Reuters AlertNet - Afghanistan

Afghanistan

$Small country map\n© Microsoft Virtual Earth$

Capital:	Kabul
Area size:	652090 sq. km Slightly larger than Spain and Portugal combined
Time zone:	GMT +4 1/2
Currency:	Afghani
Area code:	(+) 93
Driving:	Right
Climate description:	Severe winter at higher altitudes, summers are warm throughout the mountainous country but very hot at lower levels. Rain in the spring, dry period between June and October

People

Standard of living

Economy & aid

Health

Disasters, conflict & migration

Language
Pashto and Persian (Dari) are the official languages. There is also a great variety of languages -- mainly with Persian or Turkic roots -- such as Hazaragi, Turkmen, Uzbek and Aimaq.
Source: New Internationalist World Guide

Population

2007	26.2 million	U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) Population Division (2006)
2006	25.7 million	U.N. DESA (2006)
2005	25.1 million	U.N. DESA (2006)
2004	24.1 million	U.N. DESA (2006)
2003	23.1 million	U.N. DESA (2006)
2002	22.2 million	U.N. DESA (2006)
2001	21.4 million	U.N. DESA (2006)
2000	20.7 million	U.N. DESA (2006)

Future population estimates
40.9 million (2050)
Source: U.N. DESA (2006)

Ethnic groups
Pashtun 44 percent, Tajik 25 percent, Hazara 10 percent, Uzbek 8 percent. The rest of the population is comprised of peoples of Turkic origin and nomads of Mongolian origin.
Source: NI World Guide

Religion
Muslims make up 99 percent of the population (74 percent Sunni, 15 percent Shia and 10 percent others).
Source: NI World Guide

Percentage urban population

2007	23.6 percent	U.N. DESA - World Urbanisation Prospects 2005
2006	23.3 percent	U.N. DESA (2005)
2005	22.9 percent	U.N. DESA (2005)
2004	22.6 percent	U.N. DESA (2005)
2003	22.2 percent	U.N. DESA (2005)
2002	21.9 percent	U.N. DESA (2005)
2001	21.6 percent	U.N. DESA (2005)
2000	21.3 percent	U.N. DESA (2005)

Year women granted right to vote
No data available
Where two figures are shown, the first refers to a partial recognition of the right to vote and the second to the year women received the right to vote on a universal and equal basis.

Net percentage of girls enrolled in primary education
No data available

Percentage of population under 15

2005	47 percent	U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007
2004	46.6 percent	UNDP 2006
2003	46.7 percent	UNDP 2005
2002	No data available percent
2001	No data available percent
2000	No data available percent

Average life expectancy

2005	42.9 years	U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007
2004	46.4 years	UNDP 2006
2003	46.2 years	UNDP 2005
2002	No data available years
2001	No data available years
2000	No data available years

Life expectancy - male

2005	42.9 years	U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007
2004	46.2 years	UNDP 2006
2003	No data available years
2002	No data available years
2001	No data available years
2000	No data available years

Life expectancy - female

2005	42.8 years	U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007
2004	46.7 years	UNDP 2006
2003	No data available years
2002	No data available years
2001	No data available years
2000	No data available years

Infant mortality

2006	165 per 1,000 live births	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2008
2005	165 per 1,000 live births	U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) - State of the World's Children 2007
2004	165 per 1,000 live births	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2006
2003	No data available per 1,000 live births
2002	No data available per 1,000 live births
2001	165 per 1,000 live births	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000	No data available per 1,000 live births

Child mortality - deaths before the age of five

2006	257 per 1,000 live births	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2008
2005	257 per 1,000 live births	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2007
2004	257 per 1,000 live births	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2006
2003	257 per 1,000 live births	UNDP 2005
2002	257 per 1,000 live births	UNDP 2004
2001	257 per 1,000 live births	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
2000	No data available per 1,000 live births

Births attended by skilled personnel

1997-2005	14 percent	U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007
1996-2004	14 percent	UNDP 2006
1995-2003	14 percent	UNDP 2005
1995-2002	No data available percent
1995-2001	No data available percent
1995-2000	No data available percent

Maternal mortality

2005	No data available per 100,000 live births
2000	1900 per 100,000 live births	UNDP 2006

Human development index (HDI rank)
No data available

Percentage of children under weight for age (under age 5)

2000-2006	39 percent	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2008
1996-2005	39 percent	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2007
1996-2004	39 percent	UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2006
1995-2003	No data available percent
1995-2002	No data available percent
1995-2001	48 percent	UNDP - Human Development Report 2003
1995-2000	No data available percent

Percentage of undernourished population
No data available percent

Population with access to improved water

2004	39 percent	UNICEF and World Health Organisation (WHO) 2006
2002	No data available percent
2000	No data available percent

Population with access to improved sanitation

2004	34 percent	UNICEF and WHO 2006
2002	No data available percent
2000	No data available percent

Literacy - average
28.1 percent (2004)
Source: UNDP 2006

Literacy - male

2005	43.1 percent	U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007
2004	43.1 percent	UNDP 2006

Literacy - female

2005	12.6 percent	U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007
2004	12.6 percent	UNDP 2006

Landlines telephones

2006	5 per 1,000 people	International Telecommunication Union (ITU) 2007
2005	3 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2004	2 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2003	1 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2002	1 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2001	1 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2000	1 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007

Cellular telephone subscribers

2006	81 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2005	40 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2004	21 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2003	7 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2002	1 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2001	No data available per 1,000 people
2000	No data available per 1,000 people

Internet users

2006	17 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2005	10 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2004	0.9 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2003	0.7 per 1,000 people	ITU 2007
2002	No data available per 1,000 people
2001	No data available per 1,000 people
2000	No data available per 1,000 people

Transparency International corruption ranking (1=least corrupt, 179=most corrupt)

2007	172 (joint)	Transparency International 2007
2006	Not ranked
2005	117 (joint)	Transparency International
2004	133 (joint)	Transparency International
2003	Not ranked
2002	Not ranked
2001	Not ranked
2000	Not ranked

Signatory of International Convention on the Prevention and Punishment for the crime of Genocide
Yes (1948)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report

Signatory of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
Yes (1984)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report

Signatory of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
Yes (1989)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report

International humanitarian aid flows
Access the Financial Tracking Service, a global real-time database which records all reported humanitarian aid - including that for NGOs, the Red Cross/Crescent Movement, bilateral aid, in-kind aid and private donations - searchable by country.
Source: Financial Tracking Service, ReliefWeb

Percentage of population living on less than US$1 a day
No data available percent

GNI per capita, Atlas method

2006	current US$	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2005	current US$	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2004	current US$	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2003	current US$	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2002	current US$	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2001	No data available current US$
2000	current US$	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008

The purpose of the Atlas conversion factor is to reduce the impact of exchange rate fluctuations in a cross-country comparison of national incomes. The Atlas conversion factor for any year is the average of a country�s exchange rate (or alternative conversion factor) for that year and its exchange rates for the two preceding years.

GDP

2006	8.4 current US$ billions	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2005	7.3 current US$ billions	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2004	6.0 current US$ billions	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2003	4.6 current US$ billions	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2002	4.0 current US$ billions	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2001	2.5 current US$ billions	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008
2000	No data available current US$ billions

Annual GDP growth

2005	14 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2004	8 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2003	15.7 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2002	No data available percent
2001	No data available percent
2000	No data available percent

Annual inflation

2005	11.9 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2004	17 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2003	6.4 percent	World Bank Data Profile Tables 2007
2002	No data available percent
2001	No data available percent
2000	No data available percent

Share of income or consumption (poorest 10 percent)
No data available

Share of income or consumption (richest 10 percent)
No data available

Physicians

2000-2004	19 per 100,000 people	U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007
1990-2004	19 per 100,000 people	UNDP 2006

Percentage HIV+ (adults aged 15-49)

2005	<0.1 percent	U.N. Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) 2006
2003	<0.1 percent	UNAIDS 2006

Malaria
Risk from P. vivax and P. falciparum from May through November below 2000 metres altitude. P. falciparum resistance to chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine reported.
Source: WHO

TB cases

2006	161 per 100,000 people	WHO 2008
2005	168 per 100,000 people	WHO 2008
2004	175 per 100,000 people	WHO 2008
2003	186 per 100,000 people	WHO 2008
2002	195 per 100,000 people	WHO 2008
2001	203 per 100,000 people	WHO 2008
2000	208 per 100,000 people	WHO 2008

Chronology of natural disasters
Access EM-DAT, a database of natural disasters from 1900 to the present - death tolls and numbers of affected people - searchable by country.
Source: Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium

Number of refugees originating here

2006	2107519	Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
2005	1908052	UNHCR
2004	2084925	UNHCR
2003	2136043	UNHCR
2002	2510294	UNHCR
2001	3809767	UNHCR
2000	3587336	UNHCR

Number of refugees residing here

2006	35	UNHCR
2005	32	UNHCR
2004	30	UNHCR
2003	22	UNHCR
2002	3	UNHCR
2001	6	UNHCR
2000	No data available

Number of internally displaced people\Estimate

2007	161000	Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) 2008
2006	132000	Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) 2006
2005	153192 - 200000	IDMC 2006

Landmine casualties per year

2004	878	Landmine Monitor Report 2005
2003	1018	Landmine Monitor Report 2005

Casualty figures may include both civilians and military personnel injured or killed by landmines and unexploded ordnance.
Signatory to landmine convention?
Yes (2002)
Source: Landmine Monitor Report

Percentage of GDP spent on military
9.9 percent (2005)
Source: U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007

Percentage of GDP spent on education
No data available percent

Percentage of GDP spent on health

2004	0.7 percent	U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007
2003-2004	No data available percent
2002	3.1 percent	UNDP 2005
2001	No data available percent
2000	No data available percent

AlertNet makes every effort to ensure statistics are updated from the relevant sources as soon as they are available.

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