(2) 230–1364
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of black (hoist), red, and green, with a
gold emblem centered on the red band; the emblem features a
temple-like structure encircled by a wreath on the left and right
and by a bold Islamic inscription above
Economy Afghanistan
Economy - overview:
Afghanistan's economic outlook has improved significantly since the
fall of the Taliban regime in 2001 because of the infusion of over
$2 billion in international assistance, recovery of the agricultural
sector, and the reestablishment of market institutions. Agriculture
boomed in 2003 with the end of a four-year drought, but drought
conditions returned for the southern half of the country in 2004.
Despite the progress of the past few years, Afghanistan remains
extremely poor, landlocked, and highly dependent on foreign aid,
farming, and trade with neighboring countries. It will probably take
the remainder of the decade and continuing donor aid and attention
to raise Afghanistan's living standards up from its current status
among the lowest in the world. Much of the population continues to
suffer from shortages of housing, clean water, electricity, medical
care, and jobs, but the Afghan government and international donors
remain committed to improving access to these basic necessities by
prioritizing infrastructure development, education, housing
development, jobs programs, and economic reform over the next year.
Growing political stability and continued international commitment
to Afghan reconstruction create an optimistic outlook for
maintaining improvements in the Afghan economy in 2005. Expanding
poppy cultivation and a growing opium trade may account for
one-third of GDP and looms as one of Kabul's most serious policy
challenges.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$21.5 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
7.5% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $800 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 60% industry: 20% services: 20% (1990 est.)
Labor force:
11.8 million (2001 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 80%, industry 10%, services 10% (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA
Population below poverty line:
53% (2003)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
10.3% (2003)
Budget:
revenues: $300 million
expenditures: $609 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(FY04–05 budget)
Agriculture - products:
opium, wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins
Industries:
small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes,
fertilizer, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper
Industrial production growth rate:
NA
Electricity - production:
540 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 36.3% hydro: 63.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
652.2 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports:
150 million kWh (2002)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
3,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA
Oil - imports:
NA
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
220 million cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
220 million cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
49.98 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Exports:
$446 million (not including illicit exports or reexports) (FY03–04)
Exports - commodities:
opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and
pelts, precious and semi-precious gems
Exports - partners:
Pakistan 24%, India 21.3%, US 12.4%, Germany 5.5% (2004)
Imports:
$3.759 billion (FY03–04)
Imports - commodities:
capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products
Imports - partners:
Pakistan 25.5%, US 8.7%, India 8.5%, Germany 6.5%, Turkmenistan
5.3%, Kenya 4.7%, South Korea 4.2%, Russia 4.2% (2004)
Debt - external:
$8 billion in bilateral debt, mostly to Russia; Afghanistan has
$500 million in debt to Multilateral Development Banks (2004)
Economic aid - recipient:
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
Currency (code):
afghani (AFA)
Currency code:
AFA
Exchange rates:
afghanis per US dollar - 3,000 (2004), 3,000 (2003), 3,000 (2002),
3,000 (2001), 3,000 (2000)
note: in 2002, the afghani was revalued and the currency stabilized
at about 50 afghanis to the dollar; before 2002, the market rate