Factbook

Afghanistan — Country Profile

Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Afghanistan: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna grade (MCC, ranked #142 of 195).

CapitalKabul

Population49,474,805 (2025 est.)

GDP (PPP)$82.238 billion (2023 est.)

Magna gradeMCC · 41 #142

Afghanistan is a theocratic; the United States does not recognize the Taliban Government in Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran. The country's capital is Kabul; it covers 652,230 sq km. Independence: 19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs). Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest. Climate: arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers. Population: 49.5 million (2025 estimate). Population growth: +2.86% per year. Median age: 18.4 years. Life expectancy: 54.4 years (2024 est.). Languages: Afghan Persian or Dari (official, lingua franca) 77%, Pashto (official) 48%, Uzbeki 11%, English 6%, Turkmani 3%, Urdu 3%, Pashaie 1%, Nurist…

Afghanistan facts: population, GDP, capital and more

Capital	Kabul
Population	49,474,805 (2025 est.)
GDP (PPP)	$82.238 billion (2023 est.)
GDP per capita (PPP)	$2,000 (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth	2.3% (2023 est.)
Inflation	6.6%
Unemployment	13.3%
Public debt	7.8% of GDP (2016 est.)
Exports	$1.476 billion (2020 est.)
Imports	$6.983 billion (2020 est.)
Life expectancy	54.4 years (2024 est.)
Median age	18.4
Urbanization	26.9% of total population (2023)
Government	theocratic; the United States does not recognize the Taliban Government
Independence	19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)
Languages	Afghan Persian or Dari (official, lingua franca) 77%, Pashto (official) 48%, Uzbeki 11%, English 6%, Turkmani 3%, Urdu 3%, Pashaie 1%, Nuristani 1%, Arabic 1%, Balochi 1%, other <1% (2020 est.)

Magna assessment

MCC · 41/100 — The Magna grade is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — five dimensions, 100+ indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.

Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).

Steadiness was the quarter's defining trait: no rupture, no windfall, no surprise strong enough to move the score.

The trajectory remains set by fundamentals that change over years, not quarters — and this quarter changed little.

What our model rewards: public debt under 8% of GDP — room to maneuver; 87% of its electricity from low-carbon sources
What drags it down: a current-account deficit of $3 billion (18.3% of GDP) — living beyond its means; a median age of 18 — a nation of children, its workforce still in the classroom

Natural resources of Afghanistan

Natural gas, Oil, Coal, Copper, Barite, Sulfur, Lead, Zinc, Iron ore, Salt.

Natural gas Oil Coal Copper Barite Sulfur Lead Zinc Iron ore Salt

Who leads Afghanistan?

Mohammad Hasan Akhund — Acting Prime Minister. Taliban Leader HAYBATULLAH Akhundzada (since 15 August 2021)

Diplomatic weight

Afghanistan maintains 29 embassies and 14 consulates abroad, hosts 38 foreign diplomatic missions, holds permanent missions to EU/NATO Brussels, OPCW The Hague, UN Geneva, UN New York, UNESCO Paris. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.

Embassies abroad	29
Consulates abroad	14
Foreign missions hosted	38
Multilateral missions	EU/NATO Brussels, OPCW The Hague, UN Geneva, UN New York, UNESCO Paris

Source: Outbound: Consular Affairs Center (Yonsei Univ.), diplomatic & consular networks database, January 2026 report (Zenodo). Hosted: Wikipedia 'List of diplomatic missions in Afghanistan' (older snapshot). Multilateral: Wikipedia 'List of diplomatic missions of Afghanistan'.

Transport & infrastructure

Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.

Sea access	Landlocked — no seacoast; exports move through transit corridors across neighbouring countries.
Airports (total)	68 + 8 heliports (registration prefix YA)
Pipelines	466 km gas (2013)

Major airports

Ahmad Shah Baba International Airport (KDH) — Kandahar; Herat - Khwaja Abdullah Ansari International Airport (HEA) — Guzara; Kabul International Airport (KBL) — Kabul; Mazar-i-Sharif International Airport (MZR) — Mazar-i-Sharif; Khost International Airport (KHT) — Khost.

Terminals

River ports	Hairatan, Qizil Qal`ah (Amu Darya)

Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28); theodora.com CIA mirror (CIA World Factbook Transportation section), scraped 2026-10-02

Elections & power

Political system	theocracy
Next election	No election currently scheduled.

Where does Afghanistan rank?

MCC · 41 Ranked #142 of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Afghanistan.

History of Afghanistan

Historical timeline of Afghanistan

Major cities

Kabul

Across the Bureau

Afghanistan — Military File History of Afghanistan — Timeline Mohammad Hasan Akhund — Leader of Afghanistan Afghanistan Ranking — Magna Country Rankings What are the main airports of Afghanistan?Does Afghanistan have oil and gas pipelines?What is the population of Afghanistan?Who is the president of Afghanistan?