Afghanistan - Economy
How is the economy of Afghanistan? Based on the information we have, Afghanistan has a extremely low-income South Asian economy; import drops, currency depreciation, disappearing central bank reserves, and increasing inflation after Taliban takeover; increasing Chinese trade; hit hard by COVID; ongoing sanctions. Key agricultural products in this country include: wheat, milk, watermelons, grapes, potatoes, cantaloupes/melons, vegetables, rice, onions, apples (2022).
More about the economy of Afghanistan
Labor force 8.921 million (2023 est.)
Industrial production growth rate -5.73% (2022 est.)
Industries small-scale production of bricks, textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, apparel, food products, non-alcoholic beverages, mineral water, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper
Population below poverty line 54.5% (2016 est.)
Taxes and other revenues 9.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Fiscal year
Exchange rates
Currency afghanis (AFA) per US dollar -
Exchange rates 2020 76.814 (2020 est.)
Exchange rates 2019 77.738 (2019 est.)
Exchange rates 2018 72.083 (2018 est.)
Exchange rates 2017 68.027 (2017 est.)
Exchange rates 2016 67.866 (2016 est.)
Debt - external
Debt - external FY10/11 $284 million (FY10/11)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2020 $9.749 billion (2020 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2019 $8.498 billion (2019 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2018 $8.207 billion (2018 est.)
Current account balance
Current account balance 2020 -$3.137 billion (2020 est.)
Current account balance 2019 -$3.792 billion (2019 est.)
Current account balance 2018 -$3.897 billion (2018 est.)
Public debt
Public debt 2017 7% of GDP (2017 est.)
Budget
Revenues $5.093 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures $5.293 billion (2019 est.)
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)
Remittances
Remittances 2022 2.55% of GDP (2022 est.)
Remittances 2021 2.24% of GDP (2021 est.)
Remittances 2020 3.95% of GDP (2020 est.)
Imports
Imports 2020 $6.983 billion (2020 est.)
Imports 2019 $7.371 billion (2019 est.)
Imports 2018 $7.988 billion (2018 est.)
Imports (partners) UAE 21%, Kazakhstan 17%, Pakistan 17%, China 9%, Uzbekistan 9% (2022)
Comodities Imports force wheat, tobacco, palm oil, packaged medicine, rice (2022)
Exports
Imports 2020 $6.983 billion (2020 est.)
Imports 2019 $7.371 billion (2019 est.)
Imports 2018 $7.988 billion (2018 est.)
Exports (partners) Pakistan 57%, India 28%, China 3%, UAE 2%, Turkey 2% (2022)
Comodities Exports force coal, cotton, grapes, gum resins, nuts (2022)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022 $80.416 billion (2022 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021 $85.768 billion (2021 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020 $108.209 billion (2020 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate) $14.502 billion (2022 est.)
Real GDP Per capita
Real GDP per capita 2022 $2,000 (2022 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2021 $2,100 (2021 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2020 $2,800 (2020 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
Agriculture 23% (2016 est.)
Industry 21.1% (2016 est.)
Services 55.9% (2016 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use
Household consumption 81.6% (2016 est.)
Government consumption 12% (2016 est.)
Investment in fixed capital 17.2% (2016 est.)
Investment in inventories 30% (2016 est.)
Exports of goods and services 6.7% (2016 est.)
Imports of goods and services -47.6% (2016 est.)
Unemployment rate
Unemployment rate 2023 14.39% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate 2022 14.1% (2022 est.)
Unemployment rate 2021 11.93% (2021 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
Total 18.1% (2023 est.)
Male 16.8% (2023 est.)
Female 30.4% (2023 est.)
All Important Facts about Afghanistan

Want to know more about Afghanistan? Check all different factbooks for Afghanistan below.

Afghanistan is found in Southern Asia