Economy of 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.), $21 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $800 (2003 est.), $800 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 53%
industry: 28.5%
services: 18.5% (1990)
Labor force: 10 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 70%, industry 15%, services 15% (1990 est.)
Unemployment rate: 8% (1995 est.)
Industries: small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, and cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, oil, coal, copper
Electricity - production: 420 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 35.71%
hydro: 64.29%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption: 480.6 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 110 million kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: opium poppies, wheat, fruits, nuts, karakul pelts; wool, mutton
Exports: $80 million (does not include opium) (1996 est.)
Exports - commodities: opium, 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: capital goods, food and petroleum products; most consumer goods
Imports - partners: FSU, Pakistan, Iran, Japan, Singapore, India, South Korea, Germany
Debt - external: $5.5 billion (1996 est.)
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: 1 afghani (AF) = 100 puls

SOURCE: The World Factbook