4 GeoFroggy

Economy Overview

Despite improvements in life expectancy, incomes, and literacy since 2001, Afghanistan is extremely poor, landlocked, and highly dependent on foreign aid. Much of the population continues to suffer from shortages of housing, clean water, electricity, medical care, and jobs. Corruption, insecurity, weak governance, lack of infrastructure, and the Afghan Government's difficulty in extending 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. Since 2014, the economy has slowed, in large part because of the withdrawal of nearly 100,000 foreign troops that had artificially inflated the country’s economic growth.

The international community remains committed to Afghanistan's development, pledging over $83 billion at ten donors' conferences between 2003 and 2016. In October 2016, the donors at the Brussels conference pledged an additional $3.8 billion in development aid annually from 2017 to 2020. Even with this help, Government of Afghanistan still faces number of challenges, including low revenue collection, anemic job creation, high levels of corruption, weak government capacity, and poor public infrastructure.

In 2017 Afghanistan's growth rate was only marginally above that of the 2014-2016 average. The drawdown of international security forces that started in 2012 has negatively affected economic growth, as a substantial portion of commerce, especially in the services sector, has catered to the ongoing international troop presence in the country. Afghan President Ashraf GHANI Ahmadzai is dedicated to instituting economic reforms to include improving revenue collection and fighting corruption. The government has implemented reforms to the budget process and in some other areas. However, many other reforms will take time to implement and Afghanistan will remain dependent on international donor support over the next several years.

Agriculture Products

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

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

Industrial Production Growth Rate

-1.9% (2016 est.)

Labor Force

8.478 million (2017 est.)

Labor Force by Occupation

Agriculture: 44.3%

Industry: 18.1%

Services: 37.6% (2017 est.)

Unemployment Rate

2017: 23.9%

2016: 22.6%

Population Below Poverty Line

54.5% (2017 est.)

Household Income or Consumption by Percentage Share

Lowest 10: 3.8%

Highest 10: 24% (2008)

Distribution of Family Income Gini Index

2008: 29.4

Budget

Revenues: 2.276 billion (2017 est.)

Expenditures: 5.328 billion (2017 est.)

Public Debt

2017: 7% of GDP

2016: 7.8% of GDP

Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate

31 December 2016: 15%

31 December 2015: 15%

Stock of Narrow Money

31 December 2014: $6.644 billion

31 December 2013: $6.192 billion

Stock of Broad Money

31 December 2014: $6.945 billion

31 December 2013: $6.544 billion

Stock of Domestic Credit

31 December 2016: -$240.6 million

Market Value of Publicly Traded Shares

<p>NA</p>

Reserves of Foreign Exchange and Gold

31 December 2017: $7.187 billion

31 December 2015: $6.901 billion

Debt External

FY/: $2.84 billion

Stock of Direct Foreign Investment at Home

Stock of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad

Exchange Rates

Currency: afghanis (AFA) per US dollar -

Exchange rates:

Year

GDP Official Exchange Rate

  • $20.24 billion 2017 est.

Taxes and Other Revenues

  • 11.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Budget Surplus or Deficit

  • -15.1% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Fiscal Year

  • 21 December - 20 December

GDP Purchasing Power Parity

  • 2017
    $69.45 billion
  • 2016
    $67.65 billion
  • 2015
    $66.21 billion

GDP Real Growth Rate

  • 2017
    2.7%
  • 2016
    2.2%
  • 2015
    1%

GDP Per Capital

  • 2017
    $2,000
  • 2016
    $2,000
  • 2015
    $2,000

Gross National Saving

  • 2017
    22.7% of GDP
  • 2016
    25.8% of GDP
  • 2015
    21.4% of GDP

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.)

GDP Composition by Sector of Origin

  • Agriculture
    23% (2016 est.)
  • Industry
    21.1% (2016 est.)
  • Services
    55.9% (2016 est.)

Inflation Rate Consumer Prices

  • 2017
    5%
  • 2016
    4.4%

Current Account Balance

  • 2017
    $1.014 billion
  • 2016
    $1.409 billion

Exports

  • 2017
    $784 million
  • 2016
    $614.2 million

Exports Partners

  • India
    56.5%
  • Pakistan
    29.6%

Exports Commodities

    Opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems, and medical herbs

Imports

  • 2017
    $7.616 billion
  • 2016
    $6.16 billion

Imports Partners

  • China
    21%
  • Iran
    20.5%
  • Pakistan
    11.8%
  • Kazakhstan
    11%
  • Uzbekistan
    6.8%
  • Malaysia
    5.3%

Imports Commodities

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