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%.
Phantom aid in Afghanistan
Afghanistan is a low-income country with GDP per capita of US$501 in 2010. The country currently ranks 172 in the Human Development Index (HDI). It is heavily reliant on foreign aid and aid accounts for more than 90 percent of the national budget. Many of the nation's sectors are currently poorly developed. The country's infant mortality rates are high at 16.7 percent, literacy levels are low at 18 percent and unemployment levels are high at 35 percent.