Population 27,755,775 (July 2002 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 42% (male 5,953,291; female 5,706,542)
15-64 years: 55.2% (male 7,935,101; female 7,382,101)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 410,278; female 368,462) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate 3.43%
note: this rate reflects the continued return of refugees from Iran (2002 est.)

Birth rate 41.03 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate 17.43 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate 10.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.11 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate 144.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
total population: 46.6 years
female: 45.85 years (2002 est.)
male: 47.32 years

Total fertility rate 5.72 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate less than 0.01% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths NA

Nationality
noun: Afghan(s)
adjective: Afghan

Ethnic groups Pashtun 44%, Tajik 25%, Hazara 10%, minor ethnic groups (Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and others) 13%, Uzbek 8%

Religions Sunni Muslim 84%, Shi'a Muslim 15%, other 1%

Languages Pashtu 35%, Afghan Persian (Dari) 50%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism

Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
male: 51%
female: 21% (1999 est.)
total population: 36%

People - note large numbers of Afghan refugees create burdens on neighboring states

NOTE: The information regarding Afghanistan on this page is re-published from the 2002 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Afghanistan People 2002 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Afghanistan People 2002 should be addressed to the CIA.