Afghanistan
Islamic State of Afghanistan is a country in Southern Asia, covered by the Atlas as part of South Asia. It is home to about 38.0 m people. Its Human Development Index of 0.496 ranks it 181 of 193 countries (2023). Its political system is classified as closed autocracy.
- Political regime
- Closed autocracy
- All countries · 2025
V-Dem (Regimes of the World), via Our World in Data
Regional profile
South Asia
Afghanistan is part of South Asia. Our editors write about the region as a whole — its story, topics and sources below cover all its countries.
View the whole region →A quarter of humanity on three percent of the world's land. South Asia holds the fastest-growing large economy, two nuclear-armed rivals and the populations most exposed to heat and flooding. Rapid growth in services sits beside persistent malnutrition; democratic forms sit beside tightening control of media and courts.
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