Afghanistan is an extremely poor, landlocked
country, highly dependent on farming and livestock raising (sheep and
goats). Economic considerations 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. In early 1999, 1.2 million Afghan refugees remained
in Pakistan and about 1.4 million in Iran. 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. The
majority of the population continues to suffer from insufficient food,
clothing, housing, and medical care. Inflation remains a serious
problem throughout the country. International aid can deal with only a
fraction of the humanitarian problem, let alone promote economic
development. The economic situation did not improve in 1998-99, as
internal civil strife continued, hampering both domestic economic
policies and international aid efforts. Numerical data are likely to
be either unavailable or unreliable. Afghanistan was by far the
largest producer of opium poppies in 1999, and narcotics trafficking
is a major source of revenue.

purchasing power parity - $21 billion (1999 est.)

NA%

purchasing power parity - $800 (1999 est.)

agriculture: 53%
industry: 28.5%
services: 18.5% (1990)

NA%

lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

NA%

8 million (1997 est.)

agriculture 68%, industry 16%, services
16% (1980 est.)

8% (1995 est.)

revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture,
shoes, fertilizer, and cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, oil,
coal, copper

430 million kWh (1998)

fossil fuel: 41.86%
hydro: 58.14%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1998)

510 million kWh (1998)

0 kWh (1998)

110 million kWh (1998)

opium poppies, wheat, fruits, nuts, karakul
pelts; wool, mutton

$80 million (does not include opium) (1996 est.)

opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets,
wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems

FSU, Pakistan, Iran, Germany, India, UK, Belgium,
Luxembourg, Czech Republic

$150 million (1996 est.)

capital goods, food and petroleum products;
most consumer goods

FSU, Pakistan, Iran, Japan, Singapore, India,
South Korea, Germany

$5.5 billion (1996 est.)

US provided about $70 million in
humanitarian assistance in 1997; 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

1 afghani (AF) = 100 puls

afghanis (Af) per US$1 - 4,700 (January 2000), 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 in April 1996

21 March - 20 March