Afghanistan’s Population Is Growing Drastically: Officials

The Central Statistics and Information Authority of Afghanistan on Thursday said that the population of Afghanistan is growing in an unprecedented way

Speaking at a press conference on the occasion of World Population Day, Ahmad Javid Rasooli the National Statistics and Information Authority Director-General said that the total population of Afghanistan is about 32.2 million people that consists 15.8 million men and 16.4 million women.

Mr. Rasooli added that 24 percent of Afghans are living in cities while 71.3 percent are living in the suburbs and rural areas.

At the same event, the Afghan Minister of Economy Mustafa Mastoor said that the increase of population without controls will cause different challenges such as lack of food safety, increasing poverty, drinking water shortage, air pollution, lack of proper education and employment opportunities.

Meanwhile, Deewa Samadi Deputy Minister of Public Health said that in 2003 only 10 percent of Afghan women were using from medicines to avoid pregnancy while in 2019 it is doubled.

She further said that the rate of maternal mortality has also decreased compared to previous years.

The United Nations created World Population Day in 1989 to raise awareness about the problems caused by overpopulation. The planet’s population today is 7.7 billion.