Government and power in Afghanistan
Who leads Afghanistan, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Unitary state under de facto Taliban rule since August 2021; no constitution in force.
Governance scores
The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.
- Voice and accountability
- Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.
- Political stability and absence of violence
- Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.
- Government effectiveness
- Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.
- Regulatory quality
- Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.
- Rule of law
- Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.
- Control of corruption
- Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.
How does Afghanistan score on voice and accountability?
Voice and accountability: 17.7 out of 100 in 2025, 192nd highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 37.4). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 37.3.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Afghanistan score on political stability?
Political stability and absence of violence: 29.8 out of 100 in 2025, 186th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 54). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 22.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Afghanistan score on government effectiveness?
Government effectiveness: 12 out of 100 in 2025, 191st highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 50.2). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 22.6.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Afghanistan score on regulatory quality?
Regulatory quality: 30.8 out of 100 in 2025, 179th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 47.6). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 36.7.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Afghanistan score on the rule of law?
Rule of law: 28.1 out of 100 in 2025, 188th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 52.2). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 31.3.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Afghanistan score on control of corruption?
Control of corruption: 21.7 out of 100 in 2025, 174th highest of 193 UN member states with a score (regional median 37.9). Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 17.5.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many women are in Afghanistan's parliament?
Women held 27.0% of seats in the national parliament (single or lower chamber) in 2021, 79th highest of 189 countries with data. Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union, via the World Bank.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many of Afghanistan's ministers are women?
Women held 6.5% of ministerial posts in 2020, 165th highest of 188.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much does the government of Afghanistan spend?
Central government spending (expense) was 39.2% of GDP in 2017.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much tax does the government of Afghanistan collect?
Central government tax revenue was 9.9% of GDP in 2017, 127th highest of 143.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much does Afghanistan spend on the military?
Military spending was 1.8% of GDP in 2021, 53rd highest of 154 (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, via the World Bank).
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow big are the armed forces of Afghanistan?
Armed forces personnel numbered 165,000 in 2020.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow good are Afghanistan's official statistics?
The World Bank's Statistical Performance Indicator, which scores how well a country's official statistics system works, was 54.4 out of 100 in 2024, 149th highest of 187.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many births are registered in Afghanistan?
42.3% of births of children under 5 were registered with a civil authority (2015).
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many people in Afghanistan use the internet?
16.1% of people used the internet in 2024.
Source: World Bank · saved copyOfficial bodies that hold power in Afghanistan
Courts
- Supreme Court of AfghanistanPublishes court news, judicial decisions and announcements from the Afghan judiciary.
Public contracts
- National Procurement AuthorityPublishes procurement notices, contract awards and procurement rules for Afghan public bodies.
Laws and the official gazette
- Ministry of Justice (Official Gazette)Publishes the Official Gazette, decrees and legislative documents issued in Afghanistan.
Government below the national level
- Provinces (34): De facto provincial governor and deputy governor appointed by the Taliban leadership
- Districts (about 400): De facto district governor appointed from above
- Municipalities (provincial capitals and Kabul): De facto mayor appointed by the authorities
How local power works in Afghanistan
Places in Afghanistan
Sources
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Central government spending (GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 808094019f50…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Tax revenue (GC.TAX.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08c94b750f31…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Military spending (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7f6913a783b…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Births registered (SP.REG.BRTH.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f8d443034ba7…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.