Afghanistan: Total reserves, including gold (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Afghanistan's total reserves, including gold (current US$) rose 14.7% on 2019 (from US$8.5 billion to US$9.75 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1973 to 2019), the average change was +12.7% and a typical year strayed about 23.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above 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 68% in 1977 and the biggest yearly fall was 30% in 1981. 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$282.77 million a year. A straight line explains 80% 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

• Malawi — 2nd of 2: US$594.5 million

What this measures

Reserve assets are external assets, including monetary gold, that are readily available to and controlled by monetary authorities for meeting balance of payments financing needs, for intervention in exchange markets to affect the currency exchange rate, and for other related purposes (such as maintaining confidence in the currency and the economy, and serving as a basis for foreign borrowing). Reserve assets must be denominated and settled in foreign currency. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

Limitations: Discrepancies may arise in the balance of payments because there is no single source for balance of payments data and therefore no way to ensure that the data are fully consistent. Sources include customs data, monetary accounts of the banking system, external debt records, information provided by enterprises, surveys to estimate service transactions, and foreign exchange records. Differences in collection methods - such as in timing, definitions of residence and ownership, and the exchange rate used to value transactions - contribute to net errors and omissions. In addition, smuggling and other illegal or quasi-legal transactions may be unrecorded or misrecorded.

All 45 values

Total reserves, including gold (current US$) in nearby economies

• Algeria — US$76.83 billion (2025)
• Bahrain — US$5.27 billion (2025)
• Djibouti — US$655.74 million (2025)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — US$48.88 billion (2025)
• Iraq — US$98.45 billion (2025)
• Israel — US$229.49 billion (2025)
• Jordan — US$26.56 billion (2025)
• Kuwait — US$51.74 billion (2025)
• Lebanon — US$33.3 billion (2024)
• Libya — US$104.66 billion (2025)

More economic policy & debt data for Afghanistan

• Grants, excluding technical cooperation (BoP, current US$) — US$3.02 billion (2023)
• Technical cooperation grants (BoP, current US$) — US$132.59 million (2023)
• Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, Germany (current US$) — US$275.22 million (2023)
• Net bilateral aid flows from DAC donors, Total (current US$) — US$2.57 billion (2023)
• Net official development assistance and official aid received (current US$) — US$3.06 billion (2023)
• Net official development assistance and official aid received (constant 2023 US$) — US$3.06 billion (2023)
• Net official development assistance received (current US$) — US$3.06 billion (2023)
• Net official development assistance received (constant 2023 US$)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Afghanistan's total reserves, including gold (current US$)?

US$9.75 billion in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 19,132% from US$50.69 million in 1960 (9.16% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$9.75 billion in 2020 and the lowest US$38.53 million in 1967.

Is the latest change in total reserves, including gold (current US$) unusual for Afghanistan?

In 2020, Afghanistan's total reserves, including gold (current US$) rose 14.7% on 2019 (from US$8.5 billion to US$9.75 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1973 to 2019), the average change was +12.7% and a typical year strayed about 23.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above 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 FI.RES.TOTL.CD, 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.

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