Afghanistan
FSCI Indicators Breakdown
The Food Systems Countdown Initiative (FSCI) is a collaborative interdisciplinary effort to monitor global food systems. The FSCI developed a framework that includes five themes: (1) diets, nutrition, and health; (2) environment, natural resources, and production; (3) livelihoods, poverty, and equity; (4) governance; and (5) resilience and identified 50 indicators across these themes. This page presents national level data for these 50 indicators for Afghanistan.
Afghanistan income group: Low Income
Comparison
Afghanistan
Southern Asia
World
Diets, Nutrition, and Health
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Southern Asia
3.3
World
3.4
Cost of a healthy diet per capita
No Data
Per-person cost of the least expensive locally available foods to meet daily needs, based on food-based dietary guidelines
Source: FAOSTAT
Southern Asia
72
World
42
Percent of the population who cannot afford a healthy diet
No Data
Share of the population whose food budget is less than the cost of a healthy diet
Source: FAOSTAT
Afghanistan
90.4
Southern Asia
180.3
World
261.4
Availability of fruits
90.4 g/capita/day
Amount of fruits—an underconsumed yet highly nutritious food group—available in a country’s food supply per capita per day
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Afghanistan
208.9
Southern Asia
239.9
World
300.8
Availability of vegetables
208.9 g/capita/day
Amount of vegetables—an underconsumed yet highly nutritious food group—available in a country’s food supply per capita per day
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Afghanistan
28
Southern Asia
62
World
68
Percent of the population using safely managed drinking water services
28%
Share of the population that gets drinking water from an improved source, providing the clean water essential for food security (SDG 6.1.1)
2022
Afghanistan
1.2
Southern Asia
1
World
155.1
Retail value (total sales) of ultra-processed foods per capita
1.2 current PPP dollar/capita/year
Annual perperson sales of ultra-processed foods, which are known to be associated with poor health outcomes
2019
Afghanistan
30
Southern Asia
45
World
66
MDD-W: Minimum dietary diversity for women
30%
Share of women who consumed at least the minimum recommended food groups the previous day, which makes it more likely they consume adequate micronutrients
2022
Afghanistan
20
Southern Asia
27
World
39
All-5: Consumption of all five food groups
20%
Share of the adult population consuming all five food groups typically recommended for daily consumption
2022
Afghanistan
2.2
Southern Asia
3.3
World
3.8
NCD-Protect
2.2
Average score for adults on an indicator of dietary practices protective against noncommunicable diseases, like eating enough fiber, on a scale from 0 to 9
2022
Afghanistan
1.1
Southern Asia
1.5
World
2.1
NCD-Risk
1.1
Average score for adults on an indicator of dietary practices known to raise the risk of noncommunicable diseases, like eating too much sugar, on a scale from 0 to 9
2022
Afghanistan
15
Southern Asia
20
World
11
Adults: Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
15%
Share of adults who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
2022
Afghanistan
8
Southern Asia
14
World
19
Adults: Soft drink consumption
8%
Share of adults who consumed a sugar-sweetened soft drink, which are generally known to be unhealthy, during the previous day
2022
Afghanistan
30
Southern Asia
16
World
11
POU: Prevalence of undernourishment
30%
Share of the population that goes hungry—that is, lacks enough calories for a healthy, active life (SDG 2.1.1)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Afghanistan
79
Southern Asia
40
World
31
Percent of the population experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity
79%
Per-person cost of the least expensive locally available foods to meet daily needs, based on food-based dietary guidelines
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Afghanistan
22
Southern Asia
19
World
32
MDD (IYCF): Minimum dietary diversity for infants and young children
22%
Share of young children who consumed at least the minimum recommended food groups the previous day, which makes it more likely they consume adequate micronutrients
2015
Source: UNICEF
Afghanistan
59
Southern Asia
54
World
39
Children (6-23 months): Zero fruit or vegetable consumption
59% population 6-23 months
Share of young children who did not consume any fruits or vegetables the previous day
2015
Source: UNICEF
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Environment, natural resources, and production
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Afghanistan
2.3
Southern Asia
3.5
World
4.2
Cereals yield
2.3 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Afghanistan
10.3
Southern Asia
14.4
World
13.8
Fruit yield
10.3 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Afghanistan
11.2
Southern Asia
15.5
World
20.1
Vegetable yield
11.2 tonnes/ha
Yield, or production per unit area (tonnes per hectare)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Afghanistan
527.1
Southern Asia
1,825.4
World
2,262.9
Cow's milk yield
527.1 100 g/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Afghanistan
1,571
Southern Asia
1,285.2
World
2,210.1
Beef yield
1,571 100 g/animal
Yield, or production per animal (100 g per animal)—an indicator of how efficient production is
2022
Source: FAOSTAT
Southern Asia
27.2
World
21.2
Fishery health index progress score
No Data
An indicator summarizing the availability and sustainability of fish, which are at risk of overfishing or environmental degradation
Source: Minderoo Foundation
Afghanistan
22,315.4
Southern Asia
216,683.4
World
83,692.6
Agri-food systems greenhouse gas emissions
22,315.4 kT CO2eq
Afghanistan
0.1
Southern Asia
0.2
World
0.2
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cereals (excluding rice)
0.1 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of cereals (excluding rice)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Afghanistan
1.4
Southern Asia
0.8
World
1.1
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for rice
1.4 kg CO2eq/kg product
Afghanistan
3.9
Southern Asia
1.2
World
1
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for cow's milk
3.9 kg CO2eq/kg product
Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO2 equivalents) per kilogram produced of cow's milk
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Afghanistan
13
Southern Asia
29.5
World
28.3
Greenhouse gas emissions intensity for beef
13 kg CO2eq/kg product
Afghanistan
0
Southern Asia
0
World
0
Cropland area change
0% change
Average percentage change in cropland over the previous five years; expanding cropland is a major driver of biodiversity and ecosystem service loss and greenhouse gas emissions
2021
Source: FSCI
Afghanistan
76
Southern Asia
11
World
43
Functional integrity: Agricultural land with minimum level of natural habitat
76% agricultural land
Percentage of agricultural land area with enough semi-natural or natural habitat, relative to the amount of cropland or rangeland, to maintain biodiversity and functioning ecosystems
2015
Source: DeClerck et al. 2021
Afghanistan
31
Southern Asia
40
World
17
Agriculture water withdrawal as percent of total renewable water resources
31%
Water withdrawn for irrigation each year, as a percentage of the total renewable water resources available
2020
Source: AQUASTAT
Southern Asia
0.4
World
2.3
Pesticide use per area of cropland
No Data
The use of pesticides per area of cropland (kg active ingredient per hectare); pesticide use can cause pollution and harm health
Source: FAOSTAT
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Livelihoods, Poverty, and Equity
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Afghanistan
33
Southern Asia
16
World
4
Share of agriculture in GDP
33% GDP
Percentage of a country’s GDP derived from agriculture, a measure of the level of economic development of the country
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Afghanistan
3
Southern Asia
4
World
4
Unemployment rate (Rural)
3% working age population
Afghanistan
7
Southern Asia
3
World
6
Underemployment rate (Rural)
7% working age population
Percentage of working-age people in rural areas who are underemployed (i.e., worked fewer hours than expected)
2021
Source: ILO
Afghanistan
9
Southern Asia
74
World
58
Social protection coverage
9% population
Percentage of people who live in households that benefit from social protection programs, like cash transfers and health insurance
2011
Source: World Bank
Afghanistan
23
Southern Asia
8
World
23
Social protection adequacy
23% welfare of beneficiary households
An indicator showing the extent to which social protection is sufficient to meet household needs
2007
Source: World Bank
Afghanistan
9
Southern Asia
5
World
8
Percent of children 5-17 years engaged in child labor
9% children 5-17
Percentage of children ages 5–17 who are engaged in child labor, the majority of which is known to be in the food system and specifically in agriculture
2020
Source: UNICEF
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Governance
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Afghanistan
0.1
Southern Asia
0.6
World
0.6
Civil society participation index
0.1
An indicator capturing the level of participation in civil society organizations
2022
Source: Varieties of Democracy
Afghanistan
0
Southern Asia
2
World
8
Percent of the urban population living in cities signed onto the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact
0%
Percentage of the urban population that lives in cities signed on to the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, suggesting prioritization of food issues in urban planning
2020
Southern Asia
NaN
World
NaN
Degree of legal recognition of the right to food
No Data
Southern Asia
NaN
World
NaN
Presence of a national food system transformation pathway
No Data
Afghanistan
-1.9
Southern Asia
0
World
0
Government effectiveness index
-1.9
An index capturing the perception of how effective the government is in making and enforcing policies and providing services
2022
Source: World Governance Indicators
Afghanistan
20
Southern Asia
57.3
World
69.5
Food safety capacity
20
Whether functioning mechanisms exist to detect and respond to foodborne disease issues, measured as the percentage of a set of criteria met
2020
Source: WHO Global Health Observatory
Southern Asia
NaN
World
NaN
Presence of national health-related food environment policies
No Data
Whether the country has any health-related food taxes, which are used to discourage consumption of unhealthy foods
Afghanistan
-1.3
Southern Asia
0.3
World
0.2
V-Dem accountability index
-1.3
An index capturing the extent to which the government is seen as being accountable for its actions
2022
Source: Varieties of Democracy
Afghanistan
43
Southern Asia
37.5
World
43
Open budget index score
43
A score based on how easily the public can access information about how the government raises and spends money
2021
Source: International Budget Partnership
Southern Asia
NaN
World
NaN
Guarantees for public access to information
No Data
Whether the country has and implements guarantees for access to information (SDG 16.10.2)
Source: Sustainable Development Goals
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Resilience
Less Desirable
More Desirable
Southern Asia
NaN
World
NaN
Ratio of total damages from all disasters to GDP
No Data
Cost of all damage from natural disasters, as a percentage of GDP
Source: EM-DAT
Afghanistan
0.6
Southern Asia
0.7
World
0.7
Dietary sourcing flexibility index
0.6
An index capturing the diversity of pathways through which food reaches consumers, indicating how difficult it is to disrupt the food supply
2019
Source:
FAO
Afghanistan
56.6
Southern Asia
110.1
World
110.1
Mobile cellular subscriptions
56.6 Number per 100 people
Number of mobile phone subscriptions as a percentage of the population, indicating the level of infrastructure and access to information to respond to shocks
2021
Afghanistan
0.2
Southern Asia
0.4
World
0.5
Social capital index
0.2
An index for the social capital in the country—how much people feel they can trust and can rely on their government and one another
2021
Source: Legatum InstituteFSCI
Afghanistan
27
Southern Asia
62
World
25
Proportion of agricultural land with minimum level of species diversity (crop and pasture)
27% agricultural land
Percentage of agricultural land (crop and pasture) containing a sufficient diversity of species, which helps cope with shocks and changes
2020
Source:
Jones et al. 2021
Afghanistan
953
Southern Asia
276,969
World
163,165.1
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities
953
Number of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Southern Asia
29.7
World
3.8
Number of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities
No Data
Number of animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in medium- or long-term conservation facilities (SDG 2.5.1)
Source: FAOSTAT
Afghanistan
0.7
Southern Asia
0.3
World
0.4
Prevalence of severe coping strategies
0.7
Percentage of high-risk populations who need to rely on extreme strategies to cope with food insecurity
2022
Source:
WFP
Afghanistan
1
Southern Asia
0.8
World
0.7
Food price volatility
1
Afghanistan
31
Southern Asia
22.5
World
32.2
Food supply variability per capita
31 kcal/capita/day
How much the food supply (in calories per person per day) varies over time, indicating how well the food system can respond to shocks
2021
Source: FAOSTAT
Less Desirable
More Desirable