Ethnic groups in Afghanistan
The population of Afghanistan was estimated in 2017 at 29.2 million. Of this, 15 million are males and 14.2 million females. About 22% of them are urbanite and the remaining 78% live in rural areas. An additional 3 million or so Afghans are temporarily housed in neighboring Pakistan and Iran, most of whom were born and raised in those two countries. This makes the total Afghan population at around 33,332,025, and its current growth rate is 2.34%.
Punjabis in Afghanistan
The population of Punjabi Sikhs and Hindus in Afghanistan stood up to 100,000 prior to the 1990s. The Soviet invasion in 1979 and the ensuing Afghan civil wars sparked a mass exodus and the community declined drastically. Most migrated to Pakistan or India, while others resettled in North America and Europe. The current population is around 3,000. The majority live in Kabul. During the Taliban regime, Sikhs and Hindus were forced to wear yellow arm bands for identification as well as hang yellow flags over their homes. Some discrimination still persists as they are often barred from government jobs, viewed as immigrants or threatened for ransom because they are considered rich.