Asia–Pacific
Afghanistan
Capital: Kabul
- 41MPopulation
- 41MMuslim
- 99%Muslim share
- $400GDP per person
- 14%Unemployment
- 85%In poverty
- 37%Literacy
- 62Life expectancy
- System
- emirate (Taliban)
- In power
- Hibatullah Akhundzada
- Currency
- afghani
- In the UN since
- 1,946
Life today
Cricket's rise is the one sport that unites; kite-running, buzkashi, carpets — under deep poverty.
Word on the street
Radio and bazaar talk lead; smartphones run WhatsApp in the cities.
Names the world knows
- Khaled Hosseini novelist
- Rashid Khan cricketer
- Ahmad Shah Massoud commander
- Hamid Karzai former president
Did you know?
The Buddhas of Bamiyan stood for 1,500 years before their 2001 destruction.