A 2009 UN estimate shows that the Afghan population is 28,150,000,[2] with about 2.7 million Afghan refugees currently staying in neighoboring Pakistan and Iran.[159] A 2009-2010 survey conducted by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) of Afghanistan has put the population at 26 million but not counting some parts of the country due to insecurity.[160]
A partial census conducted in 1979 showed around 13,051,358 people living in the country. By 2050, the population is estimated to increase to 82 million.[161]
A partial census conducted in 1979 showed around 13,051,358 people living in the country. By 2050, the population is estimated to increase to 82 million.[161]
Boys and girls of Kabul dressed in local traditional clothes
The only city in Afghanistan with over one million residents is its capital, Kabul. The other major cities in the country are, in order of population size, Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-e Sharif, Jalalabad, Ghazni and Kunduz. Urban areas are experiencing rapid population growth following the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 2002, which is mainly due to the return of over 5 million former refugees from Pakistan and Iran.
Ethnic groups
The population of Afghanistan is divided into a wide variety of ethnic groups. Because a systematic census has not been held in the country in decades, exact figures about the size and composition of the various ethnic groups are not available.[162] In this regard, the Encyclopædia Britannica states:
The population of Afghanistan is divided into a wide variety of ethnic groups. Because a systematic census has not been held in the country in decades, exact figures about the size and composition of the various ethnic groups are not available.[162] In this regard, the Encyclopædia Britannica states:
Ethnolinguistic groups of Afghanistan in 2001
No national census has been conducted in Afghanistan since a partial count in 1979, and years of war and population dislocation have made an accurate ethnic count impossible. Current population estimates are therefore rough approximations, which show that Pashtuns comprise somewhat less than two-fifths of the population. The two largest Pashtun tribal groups are the Durrānī and Ghilzay. Tajiks are likely to account for some one-fourth of Afghans and Ḥazāra nearly one-fifth. Uzbeks and Chahar Aimaks each account for slightly more than 5 percent of the population and Turkmen an even smaller portion.[163]
The following are approximation figures provided by other sources:
(1) Based on official census numbers from the 1960s to the 1980s, as well as information found in mainly scholarly sources, the Encyclopædia Iranica[164] gives the following list:
* 39.4% Pashtun
* 33.7% Tajik, Farsiwan, and Qezelbash
* 8.0% Hazara
* 8.0% Uzbek
* 4.1% Aimak
* 3.3% Turkmen
* 1.6% Baloch
* 1.9% other
(2) An approximate distribution of ethnic groups based on the CIA World Factbook[1] is as following:
* 42% Pashtun
* 27% Tajik
* 9% Hazara
* 9% Uzbek
* 4% Aimak
* 3% Turkmen
* 2% Baloch
* 4% Other
(3) According to a representative survey, named "A survey of the Afghan people – Afghanistan in 2006", a combined project of The Asia Foundation, the Indian Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) and the Afghan Center for Socio-economic and Opinion Research (ACSOR), the distribution of the ethnic groups is:[165]
* 40.9% Pashtun
* 37.1% Tajik
* 9.2% Hazara
* 9.2% Uzbek
* 1.7% Turkmen
* 0.5% Baloch
* 0.1% Aimak
* 1.3% other
(4) According to another representative survey, named "Afghanistan: Where Things Stand", a combined effort by the American broadcasting channel ABC News, the British BBC, and the German ARD (from the years 2004 to 2009), and released on February 9, 2009, the ethnic composition of the country is (average numbers):[166]
* 41% Pashtun
* 38% Tajik
* 10% Hazara
* 6% Uzbek
* 2% Turkmen
* 1% Nuristani
* 1% Baloch
* 1% other
Languages
Main articles: Languages of Afghanistan, Persian language, and Pashto language
Languages of Afghanistan (percentages are from CIA World Factbook)[167] 50% Dari (Eastern Persian) 35% Pashto 8% Uzbek 3% Turkmen 4% other (Balochi, Nuristani, Pashai, Brahui, etc.)
The most common languages spoken in Afghanistan are Persian (officially known as Dari) and Pashto, both Indo-European languages from the Iranian languages sub-family, and the official languages of the country. Other languages, such as Uzbek, Turkmen, Pashayi, are spoken by minorities across the country, and have official status in the regions where they are the language of the majority. An approximate distribution of languages based on the CIA World Factbook is as following:[1]
* Persian (officially designated as Dari): 50%
* Pashto: 35%
* Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen): 11%
* 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashayi): 4%
* much bilingualism
Other minor languages include Nuristani (Ashkunu, Kamkata-viri, Vasi-vari, Tregami and Kalasha-ala), Pamiri (Shughni, Munji, Ishkashimi and Wakhi), Brahui, Hindko, Kyrgyz, etc.
According to older numbers in the Encyclopædia Iranica,[168] the Persian language is the most widely used language of the country, spoken by most of the population (although ca. 25% native), while Pashto is spoken and understood by around 60% of the population (50–55% native). According to "A survey of the Afghan people – Afghanistan in 2006",[165] Persian is the first language of 49% of the population, while additional 37% speak the language as a second language (combined 86%). Pashto is the first language of 40% of the population, while additional 27% know the language (combined 67%). Uzbek is spoken or understood by 6% of the population, Turkmen by 3%. In the survey "Afghanistan: Where Things Stand" (average numbers from 2005 to 2009), 69% of the interviewed people preferred Persian, while 31% preferred Pashto. Additionally, 45% of the polled people said that they can read Persian, while 36% said that they can read Pashto.[166]
Religions
Main article: Religion in Afghanistan
Religiously, Afghans are over 99% Muslims: approximately 80% Sunni, 19% Shi'a, and 1% other.[1] Until the 1890s, the region around Nuristan was known as Kafiristan (land of the kafirs) because of its inhabitants: the Nuristani, an ethnically distinctive people who practiced animism, polytheism and shamanism.[169]
Up until the mid-1980s, there were possibly about 50,000 Hindus and Sikhs living in different cities, mostly in Kabul, Kandahar, Jalalabad, and Ghazni.[170][171]
There was also a small Jewish community in Afghanistan who emigrated to Israel and the United States by the end of the last century, and only one individual, Zablon Simintov, remains today.[172]
Health and education
Kabul Medical University
According to the Human Development Index, Afghanistan is the second least developed country in the world.[173] Every half hour, an average of one woman dies from pregnancy-related complications, another dies of tuberculosis and 14 children die, largely from preventable causes. Before the start of the wars in 1978, the nation had an improving health system and a semi-modernized health care system in cities like Kabul. Ibn Sina Hospital and Ali Abad Hospital in Kabul were two of the leading health care institutions in Central Asia at the time.[174] Following the Soviet invasion and the civil war that followed, the health care system was limited only to urban areas and was eventually destroyed.
The Taliban government made some improvements in the late 1990s, but health care was not available for women during their six year rule.[174] After the removal of the Taliban in late 2001, the humanitarian and development needs in Afghanistan remain acute.[175] After about 30 years of non-ending war, there are an estimated one million disabled or handicapped people in the country.[176] An estimated 80,000 citizens of the country have lost limbs, mainly as a result of landmines.[177] This is one of the highest percentages anywhere in the world.[178]
Kabul Medical University
The nation's health care system began to improve dramatically since 2002, which is due to international support on the vaccination of children, training of medical staff, and all institutions allowing women for the first time since 1996. Many new modern hospitals and clinics are being built across the country during the same time, which are equipped with latest medical equipments. Non-governmental charities such as Mahboba's promise assist orphans in association with governmental structures.[179] According to Reuters, "Afghanistan's healthcare system is widely believed to be one of the country's success stories since reconstruction began."[174] However, in November 2009, UNICEF reported that Afghanistan is the most dangerous place in the world for a child to be born.[180] The nation has the highest infant mortality rate in the world – 257 deaths per 1,000 live births – and 70 percent of the population lacks access to clean water.[181][182] The Afghan Ministry of Public Health has ambitious plans to cut the infant mortality rate to 400 from 1,600 for every 100,000 live births by 2020.[174]
One of the oldest schools in the country is the Habibia High School in Kabul. It was established by King Habibullah Khan in 1903 and helped educate students from the nation's elite class. In the 1920s, the German-funded Amani High School opened in Kabul, and about a decade later two French lycées (secondary schools) began, the AEFE and the Lycée Esteqlal. During the same period the Kabul University opened its doors for classes. Education was improving in the country by the late 1950s, during the rule of King Zahir Shah. However, after the Saur Revolution in 1978 until recent years, the education system of Afghanistan fell apart due to the wars. It was revived in the early months of 2002 after the US removed the Taliban and the Karzai administration came to power.
As of 2009 more than five million male and female students were enrolled in schools throughout the country. However, there are still significant obstacles to education in Afghanistan, stemming from lack of funding, unsafe school buildings and cultural norms. Furthermore, there is a great lack of qualified teachers, especially in rural areas. A lack of women teachers is another issue that concerns some Afghan parents, especially in more conservative areas. Some parents will not allow their daughters to be taught by men.[183]
UNICEF estimates that more than 80 percent of females and around 50 percent of males lack access to education centers. According to the United Nations, 700 schools have been closed in the country because of poor security.[184] Literacy of the entire population is estimated at 34%. Female literacy is 10%.[184] The Afghan ministry of education, assisted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is in the process of expanding education in the country by building more new schools and providing modern technologies.
Following the start of the U.S. mission in late 2001, Kabul University was reopened to both male and female students. In 2006, the American University of Afghanistan also opened its doors, with the aim of providing a world-class, English-language, co-educational learning environment in Afghanistan. The university accepts students from Afghanistan and the neighboring countries. Many other universities were inaugurated across the country in recent years, such as Kandahar University in the south, Herat University in the northwest, Balkh University in the north, Nangarhar University and Khost University in the eastern zones, and others. The National Military Academy of Afghanistan has been set up to train and educate Afghan soldiers.
Law enforcement
Afghan National Police (ANP) honor guards
Afghanistan currently has more than 90,000 national police officers, with plans to recruit more so that the total number can reach 160,000. The Afghan National Police and Afghan Border Police are under the Afghan Interior Ministry, which is today headed by Bismillah Khan Mohammadi. Although they are being trained by NATO countries and through the Afghanistan Police Program, there are still many problems with the force. Large percentage of the police officers are illiterate and are widely accused of demanding bribes.[185] Approximately 17 percent of them test positive for illegal drugs. In some areas of the country, crimes have gone uninvestigated because of insufficient police or lack of equipment. In 2009, President Karzai created two anti-corruption units within the nation's Interior Ministry.[186] Former Interior Minister Hanif Atmar told reporters that security officials from the U.S. (FBI), Britain (Scotland Yard) and the European Union (ELOPE) will train prosecutors in the unit.[187]
Helmand, Kandahar, and Oruzgan are the most dangerous provinces in Afghanistan due to its distance from Kabul as well as the drug trade that flourishes there. The Afghan Border Police are responsible for protecing the nation's borders, especially the Durand Line border, which is often used by criminals and terrorists. Every year many Afghan police officers are killed in the line of duty.
No national census has been conducted in Afghanistan since a partial count in 1979, and years of war and population dislocation have made an accurate ethnic count impossible. Current population estimates are therefore rough approximations, which show that Pashtuns comprise somewhat less than two-fifths of the population. The two largest Pashtun tribal groups are the Durrānī and Ghilzay. Tajiks are likely to account for some one-fourth of Afghans and Ḥazāra nearly one-fifth. Uzbeks and Chahar Aimaks each account for slightly more than 5 percent of the population and Turkmen an even smaller portion.[163]
The following are approximation figures provided by other sources:
(1) Based on official census numbers from the 1960s to the 1980s, as well as information found in mainly scholarly sources, the Encyclopædia Iranica[164] gives the following list:
* 39.4% Pashtun
* 33.7% Tajik, Farsiwan, and Qezelbash
* 8.0% Hazara
* 8.0% Uzbek
* 4.1% Aimak
* 3.3% Turkmen
* 1.6% Baloch
* 1.9% other
(2) An approximate distribution of ethnic groups based on the CIA World Factbook[1] is as following:
* 42% Pashtun
* 27% Tajik
* 9% Hazara
* 9% Uzbek
* 4% Aimak
* 3% Turkmen
* 2% Baloch
* 4% Other
(3) According to a representative survey, named "A survey of the Afghan people – Afghanistan in 2006", a combined project of The Asia Foundation, the Indian Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) and the Afghan Center for Socio-economic and Opinion Research (ACSOR), the distribution of the ethnic groups is:[165]
* 40.9% Pashtun
* 37.1% Tajik
* 9.2% Hazara
* 9.2% Uzbek
* 1.7% Turkmen
* 0.5% Baloch
* 0.1% Aimak
* 1.3% other
(4) According to another representative survey, named "Afghanistan: Where Things Stand", a combined effort by the American broadcasting channel ABC News, the British BBC, and the German ARD (from the years 2004 to 2009), and released on February 9, 2009, the ethnic composition of the country is (average numbers):[166]
* 41% Pashtun
* 38% Tajik
* 10% Hazara
* 6% Uzbek
* 2% Turkmen
* 1% Nuristani
* 1% Baloch
* 1% other
Languages
Main articles: Languages of Afghanistan, Persian language, and Pashto language
Languages of Afghanistan (percentages are from CIA World Factbook)[167] 50% Dari (Eastern Persian) 35% Pashto 8% Uzbek 3% Turkmen 4% other (Balochi, Nuristani, Pashai, Brahui, etc.)
The most common languages spoken in Afghanistan are Persian (officially known as Dari) and Pashto, both Indo-European languages from the Iranian languages sub-family, and the official languages of the country. Other languages, such as Uzbek, Turkmen, Pashayi, are spoken by minorities across the country, and have official status in the regions where they are the language of the majority. An approximate distribution of languages based on the CIA World Factbook is as following:[1]
Languages of Afghanistan (percentages are from CIA World Factbook) 50% Dari (Eastern Persian) 35% Pashto 8% Uzbek 3% Turkmen 4% other (Balochi, Nuristani, Pashai, Brahui, etc.)
* Persian (officially designated as Dari): 50%
* Pashto: 35%
* Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen): 11%
* 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashayi): 4%
* much bilingualism
Other minor languages include Nuristani (Ashkunu, Kamkata-viri, Vasi-vari, Tregami and Kalasha-ala), Pamiri (Shughni, Munji, Ishkashimi and Wakhi), Brahui, Hindko, Kyrgyz, etc.
According to older numbers in the Encyclopædia Iranica,[168] the Persian language is the most widely used language of the country, spoken by most of the population (although ca. 25% native), while Pashto is spoken and understood by around 60% of the population (50–55% native). According to "A survey of the Afghan people – Afghanistan in 2006",[165] Persian is the first language of 49% of the population, while additional 37% speak the language as a second language (combined 86%). Pashto is the first language of 40% of the population, while additional 27% know the language (combined 67%). Uzbek is spoken or understood by 6% of the population, Turkmen by 3%. In the survey "Afghanistan: Where Things Stand" (average numbers from 2005 to 2009), 69% of the interviewed people preferred Persian, while 31% preferred Pashto. Additionally, 45% of the polled people said that they can read Persian, while 36% said that they can read Pashto.[166]
Religions
Main article: Religion in Afghanistan
Religiously, Afghans are over 99% Muslims: approximately 80% Sunni, 19% Shi'a, and 1% other.[1] Until the 1890s, the region around Nuristan was known as Kafiristan (land of the kafirs) because of its inhabitants: the Nuristani, an ethnically distinctive people who practiced animism, polytheism and shamanism.[169]
Up until the mid-1980s, there were possibly about 50,000 Hindus and Sikhs living in different cities, mostly in Kabul, Kandahar, Jalalabad, and Ghazni.[170][171]
There was also a small Jewish community in Afghanistan who emigrated to Israel and the United States by the end of the last century, and only one individual, Zablon Simintov, remains today.[172]
Health and education
Kabul Medical University
According to the Human Development Index, Afghanistan is the second least developed country in the world.[173] Every half hour, an average of one woman dies from pregnancy-related complications, another dies of tuberculosis and 14 children die, largely from preventable causes. Before the start of the wars in 1978, the nation had an improving health system and a semi-modernized health care system in cities like Kabul. Ibn Sina Hospital and Ali Abad Hospital in Kabul were two of the leading health care institutions in Central Asia at the time.[174] Following the Soviet invasion and the civil war that followed, the health care system was limited only to urban areas and was eventually destroyed.
The Taliban government made some improvements in the late 1990s, but health care was not available for women during their six year rule.[174] After the removal of the Taliban in late 2001, the humanitarian and development needs in Afghanistan remain acute.[175] After about 30 years of non-ending war, there are an estimated one million disabled or handicapped people in the country.[176] An estimated 80,000 citizens of the country have lost limbs, mainly as a result of landmines.[177] This is one of the highest percentages anywhere in the world.[178]
Kabul Medical University
The nation's health care system began to improve dramatically since 2002, which is due to international support on the vaccination of children, training of medical staff, and all institutions allowing women for the first time since 1996. Many new modern hospitals and clinics are being built across the country during the same time, which are equipped with latest medical equipments. Non-governmental charities such as Mahboba's promise assist orphans in association with governmental structures.[179] According to Reuters, "Afghanistan's healthcare system is widely believed to be one of the country's success stories since reconstruction began."[174] However, in November 2009, UNICEF reported that Afghanistan is the most dangerous place in the world for a child to be born.[180] The nation has the highest infant mortality rate in the world – 257 deaths per 1,000 live births – and 70 percent of the population lacks access to clean water.[181][182] The Afghan Ministry of Public Health has ambitious plans to cut the infant mortality rate to 400 from 1,600 for every 100,000 live births by 2020.[174]
One of the oldest schools in the country is the Habibia High School in Kabul. It was established by King Habibullah Khan in 1903 and helped educate students from the nation's elite class. In the 1920s, the German-funded Amani High School opened in Kabul, and about a decade later two French lycées (secondary schools) began, the AEFE and the Lycée Esteqlal. During the same period the Kabul University opened its doors for classes. Education was improving in the country by the late 1950s, during the rule of King Zahir Shah. However, after the Saur Revolution in 1978 until recent years, the education system of Afghanistan fell apart due to the wars. It was revived in the early months of 2002 after the US removed the Taliban and the Karzai administration came to power.
As of 2009 more than five million male and female students were enrolled in schools throughout the country. However, there are still significant obstacles to education in Afghanistan, stemming from lack of funding, unsafe school buildings and cultural norms. Furthermore, there is a great lack of qualified teachers, especially in rural areas. A lack of women teachers is another issue that concerns some Afghan parents, especially in more conservative areas. Some parents will not allow their daughters to be taught by men.[183]
UNICEF estimates that more than 80 percent of females and around 50 percent of males lack access to education centers. According to the United Nations, 700 schools have been closed in the country because of poor security.[184] Literacy of the entire population is estimated at 34%. Female literacy is 10%.[184] The Afghan ministry of education, assisted by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is in the process of expanding education in the country by building more new schools and providing modern technologies.
Following the start of the U.S. mission in late 2001, Kabul University was reopened to both male and female students. In 2006, the American University of Afghanistan also opened its doors, with the aim of providing a world-class, English-language, co-educational learning environment in Afghanistan. The university accepts students from Afghanistan and the neighboring countries. Many other universities were inaugurated across the country in recent years, such as Kandahar University in the south, Herat University in the northwest, Balkh University in the north, Nangarhar University and Khost University in the eastern zones, and others. The National Military Academy of Afghanistan has been set up to train and educate Afghan soldiers.
Law enforcement
Afghan National Police (ANP) honor guards
Afghanistan currently has more than 90,000 national police officers, with plans to recruit more so that the total number can reach 160,000. The Afghan National Police and Afghan Border Police are under the Afghan Interior Ministry, which is today headed by Bismillah Khan Mohammadi. Although they are being trained by NATO countries and through the Afghanistan Police Program, there are still many problems with the force. Large percentage of the police officers are illiterate and are widely accused of demanding bribes.[185] Approximately 17 percent of them test positive for illegal drugs. In some areas of the country, crimes have gone uninvestigated because of insufficient police or lack of equipment. In 2009, President Karzai created two anti-corruption units within the nation's Interior Ministry.[186] Former Interior Minister Hanif Atmar told reporters that security officials from the U.S. (FBI), Britain (Scotland Yard) and the European Union (ELOPE) will train prosecutors in the unit.[187]
Helmand, Kandahar, and Oruzgan are the most dangerous provinces in Afghanistan due to its distance from Kabul as well as the drug trade that flourishes there. The Afghan Border Police are responsible for protecing the nation's borders, especially the Durand Line border, which is often used by criminals and terrorists. Every year many Afghan police officers are killed in the line of duty.
