Poverty in Afghanistan

Afghanistan was very poor before the war and during the past quarter-century fell further behind the rest of the world.

Economic growth is the cornerstone of the Government’s strategy to reduce poverty, as laid out in the country's National Development Strategy. Since 2001, economic growth has been strong and has generated better livelihoods.

However, a major challenge to designing an effective poverty reduction strategy is collecting data to accurately measure the extent of poverty.

Several initiatives are underway, which should provide a more comprehensive picture of poverty and other social indicators. For example, the 1384 (2005/06) National Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (NRVA) survey was recently completed with detailed consumption data in both urban and rural areas.

Keeping data limitations in mind, currently available data suggest that around 36% of rural households face chronic or transit shortage of food. Social indicators are no better than this. Despite the success of the back-to-school campaign, half of all school-age children remain out of school. More than 20% of all Afghan children die before the age of five, of which a third dies soon after birth.

The World Bank has been supporting the Government’s reform on public finance and governance. The Bank also plans to provide the Government with technical assistance to improve poverty measurement and evaluate policy instruments.

Last Updated: 6/7/06