Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s economy is recovering from decades of conflict. The economy has improved significantly since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 largely because of the infusion of international assistance, the recovery of the agricultural sector, and service sector growth. Despite the progress of the past few years, Afghanistan is extremely poor, landlocked, and highly dependent on foreign aid, agriculture, and trade with neighboring countries. Much of the population continues to suffer from shortages of housing, clean water, electricity, medical care, and jobs. Criminality, insecurity, weak governance, and the Afghan Government’s inability to extend rule of law to all parts of the country pose challenges to future economic growth. Afghanistan’s living standards are among the lowest in the world. While the international community remains committed to Afghanistan’s development, pledging over $67 billion at four donors’ conferences since 2002, the Government of Afghanistan will need to overcome a number of challenges, including low revenue collection, anemic job creation, high levels of corruption, weak government capacity, and poor public infrastructure.

$29.81 billion (2010 est.)

$27.38 billion (2009 est.)

$22.34 billion (2008 est.)

$16.63 billion (2010 est.)

8.9% (2010 est.)

22.5% (2009 est.)

3.4% (2008 est.)

$1,000 (2010 est.)

$1,000 (2009 est.)

$800 (2008 est.)

15 million (2004 est.)

35% (2008 est.)

40% (2005 est.)

36% (FY08/09)

13.3% (2009 est.)

20.7% (2008 est.)

15% (31 December 2009 est.)

14.92% (31 December 2008 est.)

$3.943 billion (31 December 2009)

$2.819 billion (31 December 2008)

$4.149 billion (31 December 2009)

$2.915 billion (31 December 2008)

$363.6 million (31 December 2008 est.)

$20.06 million (31 December 2007 est.)

$NA

opium, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins

small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, apparel, food-products, non-alcoholic beverages, mineral water, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper

NA%

285.5 million kWh (2009 est.)

231.1 million kWh (2009 est.)

0 kWh (2008 est.)

230 million kWh (2007 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

5,000 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2007 est.)

4,404 bbl/day (2007 est.)

0 bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

30 million cu m (2008 est.)

30 million cu m (2008 est.)

0 cu m (2008 est.)

0 cu m (2008 est.)

49.55 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

-$2.475 billion (2009 est.)

$85 million (2008 est.)

$547 million (2009 est.)

$603 million (2008 est.); note - not including illicit exports or reexports

opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems

US 26.47%, India 23.09%, Pakistan 17.36%, Tajikistan 12.51% (2009)

$5.3 billion (2008 est.)

$4.5 billion (2007)

machinery and other capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products

Pakistan 26.78%, US 24.81%, India 5.15%, Germany 5.06%, Russia 4.04% (2009)

$2.7 billion (2008/2009)

$8 billion (2004)

afghanis (AFA) per US dollar - 50.23 (2009), 50.25 (2008), 50 (2007), 46 (2006), 47.7 (2005), 48 (2004)