Population and Geography

• Population: In excess of 25 million. (Source: UNOCHA)
• Total Area: 647,500 sq. km
• Water: 0 sq. km
• Land Boundaries: Total 5,529 km (China 76 km; Iran 936 km; Pakistan 2,450 km; Tajikistan 1,206 km; Turkmenistan 744 km; Uzbekistan 137 km)

Socio-Economic Indicators

• Average life expectancy: 40 years. (Source: UNDP)
• Illiteracy rate: 64 per cent i.e., nearly two-thirds of Afghan adults. (Source: UNDP)
• 70 per cent of Afghan population is malnourished and only 13 per cent have access to improved water resources. (Source: UNDP)
• In 1999 less than one-third Afghan children were enrolled in schools. This includes enrollment in religious schools as well. (Source: UNDP)
• Primary school enrolment ratio for boys: 39 per cent (Source: UNICEF)
• Primary school enrolment ratio for girls: 3 per cent (Source: UNICEF)
• The assistance community is able to provide education to only 7 per cent of 4.4 million children of primary school age. (Source: UNICEF)

Women and Children in Afghanistan

• An estimated 15,000 women die every year from pregnancy related causes -at the rate of approximately one every 30 minutes. (Source: UNICEF)
• Estimated maternal mortality rate is 1,700 per 100,000 live births. (Source: UNICEF)
• One of every two Afghan children is malnourished. (Source: UNICEF)
• Half of all children are stunted in height - shorter than average for their age. (Source: UNICEF)
• Diarrhoea and acute respiratory infections account for around 41 per cent of all child deaths, with vaccine-preventable diseases for another 21 per cent. (Source: UNICEF)
• Mortality rate of children under 5 years of age: 25.7 per cent, i.e., 257/1000 live births. (Source: UNDP)