Afghanistan: Subsidies and other transfers (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2017, Afghanistan's subsidies and other transfers (current LCU) rose 17.3% on 2016 (from 45.13 billion to 52.93 billion).

Across the 10 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2016), the average change was +44.1% and a typical year strayed about 78.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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 223.6% in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was 44.3% 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 2008 to 2017 the straight-line trend is upward, about 3.85 billion a year. A straight line explains 57% 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 2017 ranking

• St. Lucia — 2nd of 3: 228.51 million
• St. Vincent and the Grenadines — 3rd of 3: 132.3 million

What this measures

Subsidies are current unrequited payments that government units, including nonresident government units, make to enterprises on the basis of the levels of their production activities or the quantities or values of the goods or services that they produce, sell, export or import. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

All 12 values

Subsidies and other transfers (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Bahrain — 1.06 billion (2020)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 274.93 billion (2015)
• Israel — 326.38 billion (2024)
• Jordan — 2.66 billion (2023)
• Lebanon — 149.54 trillion (2024)
• Malta — 2.58 billion (2024)
• Morocco — 144.97 billion (2024)
• Saudi Arabia — 139.62 billion (2024)
• United Arab Emirates — 19.23 billion (2024)

More public sector data for Afghanistan

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 65 million (2021)
• Battle-related deaths (number of people) — 260 (2024)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 165,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 1.82% (2020)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 278.25 million (2021)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 23.04 billion (2021)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.83% (2021)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 1 data use score (scale 0-100) — 66.6 (2024)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 3 data products score (scale 0-100)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Afghanistan's subsidies and other transfers (current LCU)?

52.93 billion in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2006?

It is up 1,199% from 4.07 billion in 2006 (26.25% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 52.93 billion in 2017 and the lowest 4.07 billion in 2006.

Is the latest change in subsidies and other transfers (current LCU) unusual for Afghanistan?

In 2017, Afghanistan's subsidies and other transfers (current LCU) rose 17.3% on 2016 (from 45.13 billion to 52.93 billion). Across the 10 yearly changes before that (2007 to 2016), the average change was +44.1% and a typical year strayed about 78.9% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.3 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?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.XPN.TRFT.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, 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.

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