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Data for Afghanistan

Natural Resources in Afghanistan

/ 5 min read

food, agriculture, natural resources, rare-earth minerals, minerals, afghanistan, data

1. Agriculture


  • From 2001 to 2018, the agriculture sector's share of GDP plummeted from 54.1% to 22.0%, indicating a possible diversification of the economy away from agriculture.
  • Despite challenges posed by COVID-19, the years 2021-2022 have shown stability in agriculture’s contribution to GDP, remaining above 33%.

  Cite this work:

Data for Afghanistan. (2024). Agriculture value-added share of GDP (%), 2001 to 2022 [Data visualization]. https://dataforafghanistan.org/posts/natural-resources/#1-agriculture. Licensed under CC BY-ND-NC 4.0.

2. Food


  • Afghanistan's cereal yield has significantly increased from a low of 0.81 tonnes per hectare in 2000 to 2.25 tonnes per hectare in 2022, showcasing an impressive improvement in agricultural productivity over the past two decades.
  • After fluctuating in the early 2000s, cereal yields have stabilized and consistently improved since 2010, with yields remaining above 2 tonnes per hectare in most years.
  • The highest cereal yields on record were achieved in 2018 and 2022, both at 2.25 tonnes per hectare, indicating successful agricultural practices or favorable conditions in those years.

  Cite this work:

Data for Afghanistan. (2024). Cereal yield (tonnes per hectare) of harvested land, 2000 to 2022 [Data visualization]. https://dataforafghanistan.org/posts/natural-resources/#2-food. Licensed under CC BY-ND-NC 4.0.

3. Industrial Minerals


  • Afghanistan’s industrial mineral deposits are diverse but spatially concentrated. Barite deposits in Parwan and Hirat (exceeding 150 million MTs) and potash in Balkh, Samangan, and Kunduz dominate in scale, while Kabul’s brick clay underpins local construction materials. Of particular strategic importance, Hilmand hosts a large rare-earth element deposit in a carbonatite system, potentially associated with niobium, phosphorus, uranium, and thorium, positioning it among the most geologically significant provinces beyond traditional bulk minerals.
  • The concentration of both bulk industrial minerals and rare-earth elements in specific provinces implies high potential for resource-led development, but also heightened governance and security challenges. Rare-earth mineral deposits in Hilmand could be economically transformative if developed responsibly, given their relevance to clean energy and advanced technologies; however, realizing this potential requires stable institutions, transparent licensing, environmental safeguards, and infrastructure investment. More broadly, the data suggest that Afghanistan’s mineral wealth is not uniformly distributed, hence requiring place-based strategies that balance economic opportunity with conflict sensitivity and environmental risk.

  Cite this work:

Data for Afghanistan. (2026). Afghanistan mineral resources, industrial minerals [Data visualization]. https://dataforafghanistan.org/posts/natural-resources/#3-industrial-minerals. Licensed under CC BY-ND-NC 4.0.

4. Building Materials


  • Building-material mineral deposits in Afghanistan are dominated by very large limestone resources, with Badakhshan, Hirat, and Baghlan each hosting around 500 million MTs suitable for cement and flux, forming a strong foundation for domestic cement production. Additional construction inputs are geographically dispersed: sand and gravel in Badakhshan, high-purity glass sand in Balkh, and a mix of limestone, dolomite, and sandstone in Bamyan, and aragonite in Hilmand.
  • The scale and distribution of building-material mineral deposits suggest significant potential to support domestic reconstruction and infrastructure development using locally sourced inputs, reducing reliance on imports and lowering construction costs. However, realizing these gains depends on transport connectivity, energy availability, and environmental management, as heavy bulk materials are only economically viable with nearby processing and markets. Province-specific development strategies, such as cement clusters near major limestone deposits or localized quarrying for aggregates, could translate geological endowments into broad-based economic benefits.

  Cite this work:

Data for Afghanistan. (2026). Afghanistan mineral resources, building materials [Data visualization]. https://dataforafghanistan.org/posts/natural-resources/#4-building-materials. Licensed under CC BY-ND-NC 4.0.

5. Metals


  • Afghanistan’s metallic mineral deposits are dominated by iron ore, with exceptionally large sediment-hosted iron deposits (over 2.4 billion MTs each) identified in Bamyan, Baghlan, Badakhshan, and Kandahar, making iron by far the most volumetrically significant metal resource in the country. Copper is the next most strategically important metal, occurring both as large sediment-hosted systems in Kabul and Logar and as igneous-related deposits in Kandahar, Zabul, and Hirat that are potentially associated with molybdenum, gold, and silver. Smaller but economically notable deposits include bauxite (aluminum) in Zabul and Baghlan, gold occurrences spread across northeastern and southeastern provinces, and lead–zinc systems concentrated in Hirat, Kandahar, Paktya, and Ghor.
  • The scale and composition of these metal resources point to significant long-term industrial and fiscal potential, particularly from iron and copper, if supported by infrastructure, energy supply, and effective governance. The technical complexity of metallic deposits underscore the importance of strong regulatory frameworks to ensure that mineral development supports sustainable growth.

  Cite this work:

Data for Afghanistan. (2026). Afghanistan mineral resources, metals [Data visualization]. https://dataforafghanistan.org/posts/natural-resources/#5-metals. Licensed under CC BY-ND-NC 4.0.