Ethnic Composition
Because a systematic census has not been held in the nation in decades, exact figures about the size and composition of the various ethnic groups are unvailable. An approximate distribution of the ethnic groups is shown in the chart below:
| Ethnic group | World Factbook / Library of Congress Country Studies (2004-present estimate) | World Factbook / Library of Congress Country Studies (pre-2004 estimates) |
|---|---|---|
| Pashtun | 42% | 38-50% |
| Tajik | 27% | 25-26.3% (of this 1% is Qizilbash) |
| Hazara | 9% | 12-19% |
| Uzbek | 9% | 6-8% |
| Aimak | 4% | 500,000 to 800,000 individuals |
| Turkmen | 3% | 2.5% |
| Baloch | 2% | 100,000 individuals |
| Others (Pashai, Nuristani, Arab, Brahui, Pamiri, Gujjar, etc.) | 4% | 6.9% |
The above 2004–present suggested estimations are some what supported by recent national opinion polls, which were aimed at knowing how a group of about 804 to 7,760 local residents in Afghanistan felt about the current war, political situation, as well as the economic and social issues affecting their daily lives. Seven of the surveys were conducted between 2004 to 2012 by the Asia Foundation and one between 2004 to 2009 by a combined effort of the broadcasting companies NBC News, BBC, and ARD.
To one specific question at the end of the long questionnaires, "which ethnic group do you belong to?", the results of the 804 to 7,760 Afghans showed as:
| Ethnic group | "Afghanistan: Where Things Stand" (2004–2009) | "A survey of the Afghan people" (2006) | "A survey of the Afghan people" (2007) | "A survey of the Afghan people" (2008) | "A survey of the Afghan people" (2009) | "A survey of the Afghan people" (2010) | "A survey of the Afghan people" (2011) | "A survey of the Afghan people" (2012) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pashtun | 38-46% | 40.9% | 40% | Not reported | Not reported | 42% | 41% | 40% |
| Tajik | 37-39% | 37.1% | 35% | " | " | 31% | 31% | 33% |
| Hazara | 6-13% | 9.2% | 10% | " | " | 10% | 11% | 11% |
| Uzbek | 5-7% | 9.2% | 8% | " | " | 9% | 9% | 9% |
| Aimak | 0-0% | 0.1% | 1% | " | " | 2% | 1% | 1% |
| Turkmen | 1-2% | 1.7% | 3% | " | " | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Baloch | 1-3% | 0.5% | 1% | " | " | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| Others (Pashayi, Nuristani, Arab, etc.) | 0-4% | 1.4% | 2% | " | " | 3% | 3% | 5% |
| No opinion | 0-2% | 0% | 0% | " | " | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Read more about this topic: Ethnic Groups In Afghanistan
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