Summary
- Exports
- $1.6billion
- Imports
- $5.7billion
- Trade balance
- -$4.1billion
Products
What it exports
Raw cotton (14%) and grapes (10.7%) together make up 24.7% of its exports.
What it imports
Wheat flour (11.2%) and rice (6.9%) together make up 18.1% of its imports.
By Harmonized System chapter (96)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $593 million | $70 million |
| 07 · Vegetables | $249 million | $217 million |
| 52 · Cotton | $226 million | $39 million |
| 13 · Gums and plant extracts | $123 million | $707 thousand |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $109 million | $34 million |
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $103 million | $324 million |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $61 million | $49 million |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $28 million | $19 million |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $16 million | $11 million |
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $16 million | $10 million |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $8 million | $93 million |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $6 million | $242 million |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $6 million | $183 thousand |
| 76 · Aluminum | $6 million | $51 million |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $5 million | $358 million |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $5 million | $19 million |
| 10 · Cereals | $5 million | $452 million |
| 41 · Hides and leather | $5 million | $28 thousand |
| 51 · Wool | $4 million | $1 million |
| 78 · Lead | $4 million | $0 |
| 87 · Vehicles | $3 million | $302 million |
| 39 · Plastics | $3 million | $93 million |
| 24 · Tobacco | $3 million | $26 million |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $2 million | $29 million |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $2 million | $36 million |
| 05 · Other animal products | $2 million | $182 thousand |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $2 million | $545 thousand |
| 26 · Ores and slag | $2 million | $3 thousand |
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $2 million | $46 million |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $1 million | $7 million |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $1 million | $25 million |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $1 million | $49 million |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $1 million | $252 million |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $878 thousand | $3 million |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $854 thousand | $22 million |
| 14 · Other plant products | $832 thousand | $960 thousand |
| 40 · Rubber | $672 thousand | $160 million |
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $605 thousand | $411 thousand |
| 21 · Food preparations | $599 thousand | $91 million |
| 43 · Fur and fur goods | $537 thousand | $7 thousand |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $484 thousand | $11 million |
| 72 · Iron and steel | $483 thousand | $69 million |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $481 thousand | $7 million |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $426 thousand | $55 million |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $390 thousand | $21 million |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $384 thousand | $30 million |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $368 thousand | $14 million |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $353 thousand | $2 million |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $317 thousand | $320 million |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $303 thousand | $387 million |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $289 thousand | $4 million |
| 64 · Footwear | $278 thousand | $24 million |
| 79 · Zinc | $252 thousand | $23 thousand |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $228 thousand | $31 million |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $202 thousand | $15 million |
| 46 · Wicker and basketware | $175 thousand | $345 thousand |
| 01 · Live animals | $172 thousand | $2 million |
| 44 · Wood | $158 thousand | $39 million |
| 69 · Ceramics | $152 thousand | $5 million |
| 70 · Glass | $117 thousand | $32 million |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $104 thousand | $42 million |
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $102 thousand | $4 million |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $100 thousand | $23 million |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $94 thousand | $222 million |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $93 thousand | $2 million |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $92 thousand | $661 million |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $82 thousand | $31 million |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $70 thousand | $47 million |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $69 thousand | $16 million |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $60 thousand | $730 thousand |
| 93 · Weapons and ammunition | $59 thousand | $2 million |
| 06 · Live plants and flowers | $57 thousand | $50 thousand |
| 75 · Nickel | $47 thousand | $25 thousand |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $42 thousand | $1 million |
| 65 · Hats | $42 thousand | $1 million |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $41 thousand | $186 million |
| 92 · Musical instruments | $41 thousand | $12 thousand |
| 74 · Copper | $37 thousand | $1 million |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $35 thousand | $1 million |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $20 thousand | $3 million |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $20 thousand | $580 thousand |
| 60 · Knitted fabric | $15 thousand | $101 million |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $12 thousand | $13 million |
| 81 · Other base metals | $9 thousand | $31 thousand |
| 53 · Other plant fibers | $7 thousand | $163 thousand |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $5 thousand | $2 million |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $4 thousand | $20 million |
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $4 thousand | $2 million |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $3 thousand | $122 million |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $2 thousand | $4 million |
| 80 · Tin | $1 thousand | $178 thousand |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $245 | $270 thousand |
| 45 · Cork | $78 | $26 thousand |
| 47 · Wood pulp | $0 | $4 million |
| 50 · Silk | $0 | $3 million |
| 89 · Ships and boats | $0 | $228 |
Trading partners
Its main destination is India (41.2% of exports) and its main source is China (27% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD millions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 665 | 41.2% | Sea |
| Pakistan | 659 | 40.8% | Land |
| Uzbekistan | 44.7 | 2.8% | Land |
| China | 42.1 | 2.6% | Land |
| Turkey | 34.3 | 2.1% | Sea |
| Saudi Arabia | 27.4 | 1.7% | Air |
| United States | 22.8 | 1.4% | Sea |
| Kazakhstan | 17.4 | 1.1% | Sea |
| Germany | 15.9 | 0.98% | Sea |
| France | 10 | 0.62% | Sea |
Who it buys from
| Partner | Value (USD billions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 1.5 | 27% | Land |
| Pakistan | 1.5 | 26.4% | Land |
| Uzbekistan | 0.92 | 16.1% | Land |
| Kazakhstan | 0.53 | 9.2% | Sea |
| India | 0.33 | 5.8% | Sea |
| Malaysia | 0.23 | 4% | Sea |
| Turkey | 0.21 | 3.7% | Sea |
| Germany | 0.07 | 1.2% | Sea |
| Belgium | 0.05 | 0.89% | Air |
| Kyrgyzstan | 0.05 | 0.88% | Sea |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, Afghanistan accounted for 0.01% of world exports, compared with 0% in 1995.
Exports and imports
Exports grew 19-fold since 1995
USD billions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 1.6
- Imports 5.7
- Balance -4.1
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $85 million | $298 million | -$213 million |
| 1996 | $96 million | $448 million | -$352 million |
| 1997 | $120 million | $387 million | -$267 million |
| 1998 | $138 million | $316 million | -$178 million |
| 1999 | $96 million | $304 million | -$207 million |
| 2000 | $115 million | $420 million | -$305 million |
| 2001 | $75 million | $368 million | -$293 million |
| 2002 | $68 million | $739 million | -$671 million |
| 2003 | $177 million | $1.6 billion | -$1.4 billion |
| 2004 | $181 million | $1.9 billion | -$1.7 billion |
| 2005 | $215 million | $3.5 billion | -$3.3 billion |
| 2006 | $216 million | $3.4 billion | -$3.2 billion |
| 2007 | $305 million | $3.7 billion | -$3.4 billion |
| 2008 | $598 million | $6.6 billion | -$6 billion |
| 2009 | $1.3 billion | $7.4 billion | -$6 billion |
| 2010 | $626 million | $10.1 billion | -$9.5 billion |
| 2011 | $592 million | $13.3 billion | -$12.7 billion |
| 2012 | $726 million | $10.9 billion | -$10.1 billion |
| 2013 | $824 million | $12.3 billion | -$11.5 billion |
| 2014 | $912 million | $10.9 billion | -$10 billion |
| 2015 | $1 billion | $12.9 billion | -$11.9 billion |
| 2016 | $1.2 billion | $11.9 billion | -$10.7 billion |
| 2017 | $1.3 billion | $15 billion | -$13.7 billion |
| 2018 | $1.3 billion | $14.1 billion | -$12.7 billion |
| 2019 | $2.5 billion | $12.9 billion | -$10.4 billion |
| 2020 | $1.8 billion | $8.6 billion | -$6.8 billion |
| 2021 | $2 billion | $7.3 billion | -$5.4 billion |
| 2022 | $1.6 billion | $7.5 billion | -$5.8 billion |
| 2023 | $1.7 billion | $6.6 billion | -$4.9 billion |
| 2024 | $1.6 billion | $5.7 billion | -$4.1 billion |
World rank
Afghanistan rose from 172nd to 144th among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 172nd in 1995
- 144th in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 172nd |
| 1996 | 171st |
| 1997 | 168th |
| 1998 | 165th |
| 1999 | 171st |
| 2000 | 172nd |
| 2001 | 183rd |
| 2002 | 185th |
| 2003 | 169th |
| 2004 | 174th |
| 2005 | 174th |
| 2006 | 177th |
| 2007 | 171st |
| 2008 | 166th |
| 2009 | 145th |
| 2010 | 164th |
| 2011 | 171st |
| 2012 | 166th |
| 2013 | 166th |
| 2014 | 161st |
| 2015 | 156th |
| 2016 | 149th |
| 2017 | 155th |
| 2018 | 151st |
| 2019 | 138th |
| 2020 | 143rd |
| 2021 | 148th |
| 2022 | 150th |
| 2023 | 150th |
| 2024 | 144th |
What it sells
Its top export group is still fruit and nuts: 37% in 2024
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 8%
- Beverages and spirits 2%
- Oilseeds and grains 4%
- Oil, gas and coal 6%
- Coffee, tea and spices 7%
- Gums and plant extracts 8%
- Cotton 14%
- Vegetables 15%
- Fruit and nuts 37%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Fruit and nuts | 11.3% | 36.7% |
| Vegetables | 0.02% | 15.4% |
| Cotton | 3.2% | 14% |
| Gums and plant extracts | 0.93% | 7.6% |
| Coffee, tea and spices | 0.05% | 6.8% |
| Oil, gas and coal | 0.15% | 6.4% |
| Oilseeds and grains | 2.6% | 3.8% |
| Beverages and spirits | 0.34% | 1.8% |
| Other | 81.4% | 7.6% |
Who it trades with
Pakistan went from 0% to 30% of Afghanistan's trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- Pakistan 30%
- China 22%
- India 14%
- Uzbekistan 13%
- Kazakhstan 7%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | 0% | 29.6% |
| China | 12.6% | 21.6% |
| India | 7.2% | 13.6% |
| Uzbekistan | 0% | 13.2% |
| Kazakhstan | 0% | 7.4% |
Production hubs
Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeSources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Climate TRACE · CC BY 4.0 (emissions by asset; the 3 largest per country are shown)
- Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (hubs aggregated by this site)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.