The 1999 CIA World Factbook. United States. Central Intelligence Agency

have played second fiddle to political and military upheavals during two decades of war, including the nearly 10-year Soviet military occupation (which ended 15 February 1989). During that conflict one-third of the population fled the country, with Pakistan and Iran sheltering a combined peak of more than 6 million refugees. Now, only 750,000 registered Afghan refugees remain in Pakistan and about 1.2 million in Iran. Another 1 million have probably moved into and around urban areas within Afghanistan. Gross domestic product has fallen substantially over the past 20 years because of the loss of labor and capital and the disruption of trade and transport. Much of the population continues to suffer from insufficient food, clothing, housing, and medical care. Inflation remains a serious problem throughout the country, with one estimate putting the rate at 240% in Kabul in 1996. International aid can deal with only a fraction of the humanitarian problem, let alone promote economic development. Government efforts to encourage foreign investment have not worked. The economic situation did not improve in 1998. Numerical data are likely to be either unavailable or unreliable.

      GDP: purchasing power parity—$20 billion (1998 est.)

      GDP—real growth rate: NA%

      GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$800 (1998 est.)

      GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 53% industry: 28.5% services: 18.5% (1990)

      Population below poverty line: NA%

      Household income or consumption by percentage share:

       lowest 10%: NA%

       highest 10%: NA%

      Inflation rate (consumer prices): 240% (1996 est.)

      Labor force: 7.1 million

      Labor force—by occupation: agriculture and animal husbandry 67.8%, industry 10.2%, construction 6.3%, commerce 5%, services and other 10.7% (1980 est.)

      Unemployment rate: 8% (1995 est.)

      Budget:

       revenues: $NA

       expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

      Industries: small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture,

       shoes, fertilizer, and cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, oil,

       coal, copper

      Electricity—production: 540 million kWh (1996)

      Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: 35.19% hydro: 64.81% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)

      Electricity—consumption: 660 million kWh (1996)

      Electricity—exports: 0 kWh (1996) (1996)

      Electricity—imports: 120 million kWh (1996)

      Agriculture—products: wheat, fruits, nuts, karakul pelts; wool, mutton

      Exports: $80 million (1996 est.)

      Exports—commodities: fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool,

       cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems

      Exports—partners: FSU, Pakistan, Iran, Germany, India, UK,

       Belgium, Luxembourg, Czech Republic

      Imports: $150 million (1996 est.)

      Imports—commodities: food and petroleum products; most consumer

       goods

      Imports—partners: FSU, Pakistan, Iran, Japan, Singapore, India,

       South Korea, Germany

      Debt—external: $2.3 billion (March 1991 est.)

      Economic aid—recipient: $214.6 million (1995); note?US provided $450 million in bilateral assistance (1985–93); US continues to contribute to multilateral assistance through the UN programs of food aid, immunization, land mine removal, and a wide range of aid to refugees and displaced persons

      Currency: 1 afghani (AF) = 100 puls

      Exchange rates: afghanis (Af) per US$1—4,750 (February 1999), 17,000 (December 1996), 7,000 (January 1995), 1,900 (January 1994), 1,019 (March 1993), 850 (1991); note—these rates reflect the free market exchange rates rather than the official exchange rate, which was fixed at 50.600 afghanis to the dollar until 1996, when it rose to 2,262.65 per dollar, and finally became fixed again at 3,000.00 per dollar on April 1996

      Fiscal year: 21 March—20 March

      Communications

      Telephones: 31,200 (1983 est.)

      Telephone system:

       domestic: very limited telephone and telegraph service; in 1997,

       telecommunications links were established between Mazar-e Sharif,

       Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad, and Kabul through satellite and

       microwave systems

       international: satellite earth stations—1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

       linked only to Iran and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region);

       commercial satellite telephone center in Ghazni

      Radio broadcast stations: AM 6 (5 are inactive), FM 1, shortwave

       3 (1998)

      Radios: 1.67 million (1998 est.)

      Television broadcast stations: NA note: in 1997, there was a station in Mazar-e Sharif reaching four northern Afghanistan provinces; also, the government ran a central television station in Kabul and regional stations in nine of the 30 provinces; it is unknown if any of these stations currently operate

      Televisions: 100,000 (1998 est.)

      Transportation

      Railways:

       total: 24.6 km

       broad gauge: 9.6 km 1.524-m gauge from Gushgy (Turkmenistan) to

       Towraghondi; 15 km 1.524-m gauge from Termiz (Uzbekistan) to

       Kheyrabad transshipment point on south bank of Amu Darya

      Highways: total: 21,000 km paved: 2,793 km unpaved: 18,207 km (1996 est.)

      Waterways: 1,200 km; chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up

       to about 500 DWT

      Pipelines: petroleum products—Uzbekistan to Bagram and

       Turkmenistan to Shindand; natural gas 180 km

      Ports and harbors: Kheyrabad, Shir Khan

      Merchant marine:

       total: 1 container ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,982

       GRT/14,101 DWT (1998 est.)

      Airports: 44 (1998 est.)

      Airports—with paved runways:

       total: 11

       over 3,047 m: 3

       2,438 to 3,047 m: 4

       1,524 to 2,437 m: 2

       under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)

      Airports—with unpaved runways:

       total: 33

       2,438 to 3,047 m: 5

       1,524 to 2,437 m: 14

       914 to 1,523 m: 4

       under 914 m: 10 (1998 est.)

      Heliports: 3 (1998 est.)

      Military

      Military branches: NA; note—the military does not exist on a national basis; some elements of the former Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, National Guard, Border Guard Forces, National Police Force (Sarandoi), and tribal militias still exist but are factionalized among the various groups

      Military manpower—military age: 22 years of age

      Military manpower—availability:

       males age 15–49: 6,326,135 (1999 est.)

      Military