Afghanistan:
Economy

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Other pages in this profile of Afghanistan:
Geography, People, Government, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.


Economy - overview	Definition 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. Real GDP growth exceeded 7% in 2007. 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, and the Afghan Government's inability to extend rule of law to all parts of the country pose challenges to future economic growth. It will probably take the remainder of the decade and continuing donor aid and attention to significantly raise Afghanistan's living standards from its current level, among the lowest in the world. International pledges made by more than 60 countries and international financial institutions at the Berlin Donors Conference for Afghan reconstruction in March 2004 reached $8.9 billion for 2004-09. While the international community remains committed to Afghanistan's development, pledging over $24 billion at three donors' conferences since 2002, Kabul will need to overcome a number of challenges. Expanding poppy cultivation and a growing opium trade generate roughly $4 billion in illicit economic activity and looms as one of Kabul's most serious policy concerns. Other long-term challenges include: budget sustainability, job creation, corruption, government capacity, and rebuilding war torn infrastructure.
GDP (purchasing power parity)	Definition - World rank and map $35 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)	Definition $8.842 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	Definition - World rank and map 12.4% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita	Definition - World rank and map $1,000 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	Definition agriculture: 38% industry: 24% services: 38% note: data exclude opium production (2005 est.)
Labor force	Definition 15 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	Definition agriculture: 80% industry: 10% services: 10% (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	Definition - World rank and map 40% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	Definition 53% (2003)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	Definition lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	Definition - World rank and map 13% (2007 est.)
Budget	Definition revenues: $715 million expenditures: $2.6 billion note: Afghanistan has also received $273 million from the Reconstruction Trust Fund and $63 million from the Law and Order Trust Fund (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products	Definition opium, wheat, fruits, nuts; wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins
Industries	Definition small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper
Industrial production growth rate	Definition - World rank and map NA%
Electricity - production	Definition - World rank and map 754.2 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - consumption	Definition - World rank and map 801.4 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - consumption per capita	Definition - World rank and map 24.5 kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports	Definition 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	Definition 100 million kWh (2005)
Oil - production	Definition - World rank and map 0 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - consumption	Definition - World rank and map 5,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption per 1,000 people	Definition - World rank and map 0.2 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - exports	Definition - World rank and map 0 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports	Definition - World rank and map 4,120 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves	Definition - World rank and map 0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production	Definition - World rank and map 19.18 million cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption	Definition - World rank and map 19.18 million cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - consumption per capita	Definition - World rank and map 1 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports	Definition - World rank and map 0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports	Definition - World rank and map 0 cu m (2005)
Natural gas - proved reserves	Definition - World rank and map 47.53 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance	Definition - World rank and map NA
Exports	Definition - World rank and map $274 million; note - not including illicit exports or reexports (2006)
Exports - commodities	Definition opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems
Exports - partners	Definition India 23.6%, Pakistan 22.5%, US 21.2%, Russia 4.1% (2006)
Imports	Definition - World rank and map $3.823 billion (2006)
Imports - commodities	Definition capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products
Imports - partners	Definition Pakistan 37.2%, US 11.1%, India 5%, China 4.2%, Germany 4.2% (2006)
Debt - external	Definition - World rank and map $8 billion in bilateral debt, mostly to Russia; Afghanistan has $500 million in debt to Multilateral Development Banks (2004)
Market value of publicly traded shares	Definition $NA
Economic aid - recipient	Definition $2.775 billion (2005)
Currency (code)	Definition afghani (AFA)
Exchange rates	Definition afghanis per US dollar - NA (2007), 46 (2006), 47.7 (2005), 48 (2004), 49 (2003)
Fiscal year	Definition 21 March - 20 March

Afghanistan: Economy

Afghanistan:
Economy