Adoption of communication technologies in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Adoption of communication technologies was 181,963 in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Adoption of communication technologies in Afghanistan, 1960–2023
Source: International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 181,963 for adoption of communication technologies in 2023. That is the highest value across all 59 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 12.2% on the previous year and up 90.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, adoption of communication technologies in Afghanistan peaked at 181,963 in 2023 and was at its lowest, 5,130, in 2009.
Afghanistan ranks 118th of 212 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Adoption of communication technologies in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 7,700 | — |
| 1961 | 7,700 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 7,700 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 7,700 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 7,700 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 9,300 | +20.8% |
| 1966 | 9,300 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 9,300 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 9,300 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 9,300 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 16,000 | +72.0% |
| 1971 | 16,000 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 16,000 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 16,000 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 16,000 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 21,500 | +34.4% |
| 1976 | 22,200 | +3.3% |
| 1977 | 22,200 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 25,300 | +14.0% |
| 1979 | 25,300 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 25,800 | +2.0% |
| 1981 | 31,700 | +22.9% |
| 1982 | 28,000 | -11.7% |
| 1983 | 29,000 | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 30,000 | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 31,000 | +3.3% |
| 1986 | 32,000 | +3.2% |
| 1987 | 33,000 | +3.1% |
| 1988 | 34,000 | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 35,000 | +2.9% |
| 1990 | 36,200 | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 37,000 | +2.2% |
| 1992 | 29,000 | -21.6% |
| 1993 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 29,000 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 33,050 | +14.0% |
| 2003 | 36,700 | +11.0% |
| 2009 | 5,130 | -86.0% |
| 2010 | 16,620 | +224.0% |
| 2011 | 13,509 | -18.7% |
| 2012 | 90,017 | +566.3% |
| 2013 | 95,769 | +6.4% |
| 2014 | 101,931 | +6.4% |
| 2015 | 110,000 | +7.9% |
| 2016 | 114,192 | +3.8% |
| 2017 | 118,769 | +4.0% |
| 2018 | 127,794 | +7.6% |
| 2019 | 134,636 | +5.4% |
| 2020 | 145,787 | +8.3% |
| 2021 | 145,787 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 162,222 | +11.3% |
| 2023 | 181,963 | +12.2% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 181,963 is above the median for low income countries, which is 44,127, 4.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 181,963 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.22 million, 15% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Adoption of communication technologies in Afghanistan changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +566.3% | 13,509 | 90,017 |
| 2010 | +224.0% | 5,130 | 16,620 |
| 2009 | -86.0% | 36,700 | 5,130 |
| 1970 | +72.0% | 9,300 | 16,000 |
| 1975 | +34.4% | 16,000 | 21,500 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8,500 | 7,700 | 9,300 | 10 |
| 1970s | 19,650 | 16,000 | 25,300 | 10 |
| 1980s | 30,950 | 25,800 | 35,000 | 10 |
| 1990s | 30,520 | 29,000 | 37,000 | 10 |
| 2000s | 26,576 | 5,130 | 36,700 | 5 |
| 2010s | 92,324 | 13,509 | 134,636 | 10 |
| 2020s | 158,940 | 145,787 | 181,963 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 115 Lithuania 201,462 compare
- 116 Uganda 195,975 compare
- 117 Montenegro 192,212 compare
- 119 Papua New Guinea 172,691 compare
- 120 Albania 165,380 compare
- 121 Kyrgyzstan 156,698 compare
More reference data data for Afghanistan
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.8991 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4362 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 6.63 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.847 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 18.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 26.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.38 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is adoption of communication technologies in Afghanistan?
- Adoption of communication technologies in Afghanistan was 181,963 in 2023, according to International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest adoption of communication technologies recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 181,963 in 2023.
- What is the lowest adoption of communication technologies recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 5,130 in 2009.
- How does Afghanistan rank for adoption of communication technologies?
- Afghanistan ranks 118th out of 212 countries with data for 2023.
- Is adoption of communication technologies rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 90.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Adoption of communication technologies. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 59 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).