Demography of Afghanistan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This page is protected.

 This page is currently protected from editing.
See the protection policy and protection log for more details. Please discuss any changes on the talk page; you may use the {{editprotected}} template to ask an administrator to make the edit if it is supported by consensus. You may also request that this page be unprotected.
Languages in Afghanistan (percentages are from CIA World Factbook)      50% Persian (Dari)      35% Pashto      8% Uzbek      3% Turkmen      4% Balochi       2% other (Nuristani, Pashai, Brahui, etc.)
Languages in Afghanistan (percentages are from CIA World Factbook[1])      50% Persian (Dari)      35% Pashto      8% Uzbek      3% Turkmen      4% Balochi       2% other (Nuristani, Pashai, Brahui, etc.)
Ethnic groups in Afghanistan (percentages are from Encyclopædia Iranica and CIA World Factbook)      39.4% to 50% Pashtun      27% to 33.6% Tajik      8.0% to 9% Hazara      8.0% to 9% Uzbek       3.2% to 4% Aimak      3% Turkmen      1.6% to 4% Baloch       4% to 9.2% other (Pashai, Nuristani, Brahui, Hindkowans, Hindustani, etc.)
Ethnic groups in Afghanistan (percentages are from Encyclopædia Iranica[2] and CIA World Factbook[1])      39.4% to 50% Pashtun      27% to 33.6% Tajik      8.0% to 9% Hazara      8.0% to 9% Uzbek       3.2% to 4% Aimak      3% Turkmen      1.6% to 4% Baloch       4% to 9.2% other (Pashai, Nuristani, Brahui, Hindkowans, Hindustani, etc.)

The Demographics of Afghanistan are ethnically and linguistically mixed. This reflects its location astride historic trade and invasion routes leading from Central Asia into South Asia and Southwest Asia. Pashtuns are the largest ethnic group followed by Tajiks as the second largest group, then Hazaras, Uzbeks tied for third, followed by the Aimak, Turkmen, Baluch, Nuristani and other small groups. Pashto and Dari are the two official languages of the country. Dari (Persian) is spoken by about half the population and serves as a lingua franca for many. Pashto is spoken widely in the south, east and south west. Uzbek and Turkmen are spoken in the north. Smaller groups throughout the country also speak more than 70 other languages and numerous dialects.

The term Afghan, though (historically) synonymous with Pashtun, has been promoted as a national identity.[3]

99% of Afghanistan's population adheres to Islam. An estimated 80% of the population is Sunni, following the Hanafi school of jurisprudence; 19% is predominantly 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.

Contents

History and identification of the people of Afghanistan

For more information see: History of Afghanistan and Origins of the name Afghan

Afghans as a whole draw their modern national identity from the founding of the Durrani Empire in the middle of the 18th century. From 1747 until 1823 Ahmed Shah Durrani and his children held the monarchy in direct session. It was under the leadership of Ahmad Shah that the nation of Afghanistan began to take shape following centuries of fragmentation and exploitation.

There requires some realization that Afghan nationalism can be synonymous with that of Pashtun nationalism and as a result cannot be conflated into an Afghan national identity as the country is a multi-ethnic entity.

Pashtuns

Pashtun children in Khost
Pashtun children in Khost
Main article: Pashtun people

The Pashtuns or Pakhtuns (refered to in the past as ethnic Afghans), are the Pashto-speaking people that reside mainly in southern and eastern Afghanistan. Large numbers are also located in western Pakistan. Considerable pockets also exist throughout other parts of Afghanistan. Smaller groups of Pashtuns are also found in Iran. They are believed to be the oldest people of the region. There are many conflicting theories, some contemporary, some ancient, about the origins of the Pashtun people, both among historians and the Pashtun themselves. According to the writer W.K. Frazier Tyler writing in his book Afghanistan, "The word Afghan… first appears in history in the Hudud-al-Alam, a work by an unknown Arab geographer who wrote in 982 AD." Al-Biruni referred to Afghans as various tribes living on the western frontier mountains of the Indus (river).[4] A Moroccan traveller, Ibn Battuta, visiting Kabul in 1333 writes: "We travelled on to Kabul, formerly a vast town, the site of which is now occupied by a village inhabited by a tribe of Persians called Afghans."[5] According to other sources, these tribes are the lost Jewish tribes that never returned and were converted to islam during the Arab Empire. The Afghan identity began to develop as Pashtun identity under the rule of Ahmad Shah Durrani who united the Pashtun (Afghan) chiefdoms in the middle of 18th century. Another boost took place under the rule of Abdur Rahman Khan who with British support further centralized the government.

Tajiks

Tajik children from Tajikistan.
Tajik children from Tajikistan.
Main articles: Tajiks, Farsiwan, and Qizilbash

The Persian-speaking Tajiks are closely related to the Persians of Iran. They have migrated to Afghanistan from former Russian Turkestan[6] and can trace their roots back to the original Eastern Iranian peoples that settled Central Asia in ancient times, such as the Bactrians, Sogdians, Scythians and Parthians, as well as ancient Persians who fled to Central Asia during the Arab Islamic expansion. The Tajiks also comprise the majority population of Tajikistan and are found in large numbers in Uzbekistan and Iran as well as parts of western Pakistan and the Xinjiang province of western China.

Sub-groups of the Tajiks include the Farsiwan and the Qizilbash. The major difference between them is that they are generally of the Shia sect while other Tajiks are of the Sunni sect.

Despite being the indigenous peoples responsible for carrying on civilized society through the centuries, since the Mongol invasion of Central Asia, Tajiks have never ruled the region that is today Afghanistan — with the exception of the Kart dynasty and the short 10-month rule of Habibullah Kalakani in 1929.[7]

In modern Afghanistan, Tajiks have been known for being bureaucrats, educators, and especially successful merchants and entrepreneurs.[7]

Hazaras

Main article: Hazara people

The Hazaras are a Persianized Eurasian people who reside mainly in the Hazarajat region. The Hazara seem to have Mongolian origins with some admixture from surrounding indigenous groups. Linguistically the Hazara speak a dialect of Persian and sometimes their variant is interspersed with more Mongolian words. It is commonly believed by many Afghans that the Hazara are descendants of Genghis Khan's army, which marched into the area during the 12th century. Proponents of this view hold that many of the Mongol soldiers and their family members settled in the area and remained there after the Mongol empire dissolved in the 13th century, converting to Islam and adopting local customs. Unlike most Afghans the Hazara are Shia, which has often set them apart from their neighbors. There are sizeable Hazara communities in Pakistan particularly in Quetta as well as in Iran.

Uzbeks

An Uzbek girl in Uzbekistan.
An Uzbek girl in Uzbekistan.
Main article: Uzbek people

The Uzbeks are believed to be the main Turkic people of Afghanistan and are found mainly in the northern regions of the country. By the 1500s the Uzbeks had settled throughout Central Asia following the conquests of Muhammad Shaybani. It is believed that they migrated to Afghanistan from former Russian Turkistan.[8] Most Uzbeks are Sunni Muslim and are closely related to the Turkmen who also can be found in Afghanistan. The Uzbeks of Afghanistan are usually bilingual, fluent in both Persian and Uzbek. Physically, the Uzbek are generally Mongoloid.[2]

Turkmen

Main article: Turkmen people

The Turkmen are the smaller Turkic group who can also be found in neighboring Turkmenistan, Iran particularly around Mashad and Pakistan. Largely Sunni Muslim, their origins are very similar to that of the Uzbeks where they also migrated from former Russian Turkistan.[9] Unlike the Uzbeks, however, the Turkmen are traditionally a nomadic people (though they were forced to abandon this way of life in Turkmenistan itself under Soviet rule). Physically, they are aquiline Mongoloid.[2]

Baloch

Main article: Baloch people

The Baluch are another Iranian ethnic group that numbers around 200,000 in Afghanistan. The main Baloch areas located in Balochistan province in Pakistan and Sistan and Baluchistan province of Iran. Many also live in southern Afghanistan. They are most likely an offshoot of the Kurds and reached Afghanistan sometime between 1000 and 1300 BCE. Mainly pastoral and desert dwellers, the Baluch are also Sunni Muslim.

Nuristani

A Nuristani girl in a Kabul.
A Nuristani girl in a Kabul.
Main article: Nuristani people

The Nuristani are an Indo-Iranian people, representing a fourth independent branch of the Aryan peoples (Indo-Aryan, Iranian, Nuristani, and Dardic), who live in isolated regions of northeastern Afghanistan as well as across the border in the district of Chitral in Pakistan. They speak a variety of Nuristani languages. Better known historically as the Kafirs of what was once known as Kafiristan (land of pagans), they were forcibly converted to Islam during the rule of Amir Abdur Rahman and their country was renamed "Nuristan", meaning "Land of Light" (as in the light of Islam). A small unconquered portion of Kafiristan inhabited by the Kalash tribe who still practice their pre-Islamic religion still exists across the border in highlands of Chitral, northwestern Pakistan. Many Nuristanis believe that they are the descendants of Alexander the Great's ancient Greeks, but there is a lack of genetic evidence for this and they are more than likely an isolated pocket of early Aryan invaders. Physically, the Nuristani are of the Mediterranean sub-stock with about one-third recessive blondism.[2] They are largely Sunni Muslims.

Other groups

Smaller groups include the Pashai, Aimak, Kyrgyz, Brahui, and Arabs.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Afghanistan

Language

There are a variety of languages in Afghanistan of which the largest and official ones are Pashto and Persian (Dari). Other significant languages include the Turkmen and the Uzbek languages.

Religion

About 99% of Afghanistan's population is Muslim with the majority as Sunni Muslims. Approximately 15% are Shiites. Before Islam's arrival, the region was predominantly Zoroastrian and Buddhist. Recent media attention to the arrest of a Christian convert indicates that there is a very small community of Christians living inside and outside Afghanistan

Additional demographic information

Nationality

Noun: Afghans
Adjective: Afghan

Population

31,056,997 (July 2006 est.)
Demographics of Afghanistan, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.
Demographics of Afghanistan, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

Age structure

0-14 years: 44.6% (male 7,095,117/female 6,763,759)
15-64 years: 53% (male 8,436,716/female 8,008,463)
65 years and over: 2.4% (male 366,642/female 386,300) (2006 est.)

Median age

Population pyramid for Afghanistan
Population pyramid for Afghanistan
Total: 17.6 years
Male: 17.6 years
Female: 17.6 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate

2.67% (2006 est.)

Birth rate

46.6 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate

20.34 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate

0.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate

Total: 160.23 deaths/1,000 live births
Male: 164.77 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 155.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

Total population: 46 years (2004 est.)[10]
Male: 46 years
Female: 46 years

Gender ratio

Women in Kabul.
Women in Kabul.
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate

6.69 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.01% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 61 (as of 2006)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 4

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne disease: malaria is a high risk countrywide below 2,000 meters from March through November
animal contact disease: rabies (2005)

Ethnic groups

A six year survey and research by WAK Foundation 1999, Norway published on "The ethnic composition of Afghanistan" [11] estimates the following:

  • Pashtun: 62.73%
  • Tajik: 12.4%
  • Hazara: 9%
  • Uzbek: 6%
  • Aimak: 2.68%
  • Turkmen: 2.69%

An approximate distribution of ethnic groups based on the CIA World Factbook[1] is as following:

  • Pashtun: 42%
  • Tajik: 27%
  • Hazara: 9%
  • Uzbek: 9%
  • Aimak: 4%
  • Turkmen: 3%
  • Baloch: 2%
  • Other: 4%

Languages spoken

An approximate (very uncertain estimated) distribution of languages based on the CIA World Factbook[1] is as following:

Literacy

Definition: Age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 36%
Male: 51%
Female: 21% (1999 est.)

Religions

Further information: Islam in Afghanistan, Hinduism in Afghanistan, Buddhism in Afghanistan, Roman Catholicism in Afghanistan

Notes and references

  1. ^ a b c d CIA World Factbook
  2. ^ a b c d Dupree, L. "Afghānistān: (iv.) ethnocgraphy". Encyclopædia Iranica (Online Edition). Ed. Ehsan Yarshater. United States: Columbia University. Retrieved on 2007. 
  3. ^ "Afghan" (with ref. to "Afghanistan: iv. Ethnography") by Ch. M. Kieffer, Encyclopaedia Iranica Online Edition 2006: "... The equation [of] Afghan [and] Paštūn has been propagated all the more, both in and beyond Afghanistan, because the Paštūn tribal confederation is by far the most important in the country, numerically and politically. ..."
  4. ^ Morgenstierne, G. (1999). "AFGHĀN". Encyclopaedia of Islam (CD-ROM Edition v. 1.0). Leiden, The Netherlands: Koninklijke Brill NV. 
  5. ^ Dupree - The Story of Kabul (Mongols)
  6. ^ The British Library, Tajiks - An ethnic minority group migrated from former Russian Turkestan, ethnically and linguistically Persian, residing north of the Hindu Kush and around Kabul.
  7. ^ a b Richard S. Newell "Post-Soviet Afghanistan: The Position of the Minorities". Asian Survey, Vol. 29, No. 11 (Nov., 1989), pp. 1090-1108. Publisher: University of California Press
  8. ^ The British Library, Uzbeg/Uzbek - A minority ethnic group migrated from former Russian Turkestan, mainly inhabiting the northern areas.
  9. ^ The British Library, Turcomen - Minority ethnic group migrated from former Russian Turkestan, mainly resident in Afghan Turkestan..
  10. ^ Life in Afghanistan. In Depth. BBC News. Retrieved on January 20, 2008.
  11. ^ The ethnic composition of afghanistan in different sources. The ethnic composition of afghanistan in different sources. Hewad Afghanistan. Retrieved on March 20, 2008.

Further reading

  • Jawad, Nassim (1992). Afghanistan: A Nation of Minorities. London: Minority Rights Group International. ISBN 0-946690-76-6. 

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:


v • d • e
Demographics of Asia
1 Transcontinental country.  2 Only recognised by Turkey.  3 Not fully independent.
v • d • e
Ethnic groups in Asia
1 Transcontinental country.  2 Only recognised by Turkey.  3 Not fully independent.