Afghanistan: Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Afghanistan's official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) fell US$0.92 on 2019 (from US$77.74 to US$76.81).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was +US$1.28 and a typical year strayed about US$2.92 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was US$17.91 in 1963 and the biggest yearly fall was US$3.87 in 2010. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 the straight-line trend is upward, about US$3.52 a year. A straight line explains 98% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

Closest to Afghanistan in the 2020 ranking

• Guinea — 1st of 3: US$9,565
• Myanmar — 2nd of 3: US$1,382

What this measures

Official exchange rate refers to the exchange rate determined by national authorities or to the rate determined in the legally sanctioned exchange market. This indicator represents the ratio of Local Currency Units relative to United States dollars.This indicator is derived as an average over the reference period.

Limitations: Official or market exchange rates are often used to convert economic statistics in local currencies to a common currency in order to make comparisons across countries. Since market rates reflect at best the relative prices of tradable goods, the volume of goods and services that a U.S. dollar buys in the United States may not correspond to what a U.S. dollar converted to another country's currency at the official exchange rate would buy in that country, particularly when nontradable goods and services account for a significant share of a country's output.

All 61 values

Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) in nearby economies

• Algeria — US$131.61 (2025)
• Bahrain — US$0.38 (2025)
• Djibouti — US$177.72 (2025)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — US$49.23 (2025)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — US$42,000 (2023)
• Iraq — US$1,300 (2025)
• Israel — US$3.45 (2025)
• Jordan — US$0.71 (2025)
• Kuwait — US$0.31 (2025)
• Lebanon

More financial sector data for Afghanistan

• DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — US$67.53 (2025)
• Net domestic credit (current LCU) — -79.38 billion (2020)
• Broad money (current LCU) — 575.74 billion (2020)
• Net foreign assets (current LCU) — 871.66 billion (2020)
• Broad money to total reserves ratio — 0.77 (2020)
• Claims on central government (annual growth as % of broad money) — -1.06% (2020)
• Claims on private sector (annual growth as % of broad money) — 0.01% (2020)
• Broad money (annual % growth) — 12.06% (2020)
• GDP deflator (base year varies by country) — 117.29 (2024)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Afghanistan's official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average)?

US$76.81 in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 346.68% from US$17.2 in 1960 (2.53% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$77.74 in 2019 and the lowest US$17.2 in 1960.

Is the latest change in official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) unusual for Afghanistan?

In 2020, Afghanistan's official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) fell US$0.92 on 2019 (from US$77.74 to US$76.81). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was +US$1.28 and a typical year strayed about US$2.92 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator PA.NUS.FCRF, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.