Afghanistan is a landlocked, mountainous country divided by 7 zones and 34 provinces. Afghans are ethnically and linguistically mixed. More than two-thirds of the population is under the age of 30.

The estimated population of Afghanistan is 30 million. The majority of Afghanistan's population consists of two ethnic groups: Pashtus followed by Tajiks. The Hazaras are the third largest ethnic group, then the Uzbeks, Aimak, Turkmen, Baluch, Nuristani and other small groups. Pashto and Dari are the two official languages of the country. Pashto is spoken by more than 60 percent of the country. Dari is spoken in the north and central zones, Uzbeki and Turkmen are spoken in the north.

99 percent of Afghanistan's population adheres to Islam. 80 percent of the population is Sunni, 19 percent is Shi'a. Despite attempts during the years of communist rule to secularize Afghan society, Islamic practices pervade all aspects of life. In fact, Islam served as the principal basis for expressing opposition to communist rule and the Soviet invasion. Likewise, Islamic religious tradition and codes, together with traditional practices, provide the principal means of controlling personal conduct and settling legal disputes. Excluding urban populations in the principal cities, most Afghans are divided into tribal and other kinship-based groups, which follow traditional customs and religious practices.

The modern Afghan national identity is derived from the founding of the Durrani Empire in the mid 18th century. From 1747 until 1823, Ahmad Shah Durrani and his descendants held the monarchy in direct session. They were the first Pashtun rulers of a Sovereign state.

Population:

33,609,937 (2009 estimate)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.5% (male 7,664,670; female 7,300,446) 15-64 years: 53% (male 9,147,846; female 8,679,800) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 394,572; female 422,603) (2009 estimate)

Ethnic groups

Ethnic groups of Afghanistan (1 March 2009):

36.4% to 60% Pashtun	27.0% to 38.1% Tajik	9.0% to 18.9% Hazara
6.0% to 6.8% Uzbek	1.7 to 3.0% Turkmen	0.5% to 4.0% Baloch or Baluch
1% to 3% Nuristani	1.9% to 9.2% other (Pashai, Aimak, Hindki, Brahui, Hindkowans, etc.)
Source: information and colours from Map of Ethnic Groups (in Districts) in Afghanistan.jpg by Le Behnam who gave the following references - Based on data from AIMS and this map by the 1985 Central Statistics Office of Afghanistan. For the new district of Jaghatu (created from Jaghatu and Bahrami Shahid) the information was recovered from www.aims.org.af Combined by Lokal_Profil

Languages in Afghanistan (1 March 2009):

Persian (Dari)	Pashto	Uzbeki
Turkmeni	Balochi	Nuristani	Pashai
Source: Information and colours from Map of Languages (in Districts) in Afghanistan.jpg by Le Behnam who gave the following references - Based on ethnic data from AIMS and this map from the National Atlas of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (Warsaw: Geokart Organization for Surveying and Cartography, 1985, ISBN 83-00-02327-5), p. 29 Combined by Lokal_Profil

Afghan Americans are struggling for the rebuilding of Afghanistan. Following the exodus of educated Afghans during the Soviet invasion of 1979, Afghanistan experienced a debilitating shortage of human resources. President Karzai himself has appealed to members of the Afghan Diaspora to come home and help reverse Afghanistan’s “brain drain.” In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the transitional government of Afghanistan in partnership with the United States established progressive reforms in order to enhance socioeconomic development in the private and public sector.

Numerous scholars and Afghan government officials have emphasized the role of the Diaspora in strengthening Afghanistan's civil society and reconstruction efforts. Expatriate engineers, doctors, legal experts and architects are providing much needed expertise and training, while their familiarity with Afghanistan’s cultures, people and languages is indispensable. Beyond applying their personal skills, many members of the Diaspora have traveled to Afghanistan and established their own organizations, hoping to contribute to the process of improvement in their native country.

Afghan American women have been highly active since the collapse of the Taliban. They have traveled to Afghanistan with their own organizations, such as micro-lending institutions aimed at helping Afghan women become successful entrepreneurs. These organizations play a critical role in providing the tools and the resources to support and strengthen the women in Afghanistan.  Afghan American women are taking greater steps in society and are actively engaged in efforts to further women’s rights.