Energy balance of Afghanistan
The most important figure in the energy balance of Afghanistan is the total consumption ofAfghanistan can partly be self-sufficient with domestically produced energy. The total production of all electric energy producing facilities is 973 m kWh. That is 15 percent of the country's own usage. The rest of the needed energy is imported from foreign countries. Along with pure consumption, the production, imports and exports play an important role.
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Energy production and consumption
| Electricity | total/year | Afghanistan per capita | USA per capita |
|---|---|---|---|
| Own consumption | 6.47 bn kWh | 151.66 kWh | 12,010.79 kWh |
| Production | 972.65 m kWh | 22.81 kWh | 12,516.80 kWh |
| Import | 6.22 bn kWh | 145.87 kWh | 114.30 kWh |
| Natural Gas | Cubic meters/year | Afghanistan per capita | USA per capita |
| Own consumption | 80.20 m m³ | 1.88 m³ | 2,706.38 m³ |
| Production | 80.20 m m³ | 1.88 m³ | 3,151.91 m³ |
CO₂ emissions
The following figures apply to the year 2024 and refer to CO₂ equivalents, i.e. they also include other greenhouse gases such as methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O) and fluorinated gases. Their quantities were converted into CO₂ equivalents in order to make them comparable with the effects of pure CO₂. The data comes from the European Commission's "Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research" (EDGAR).| CO₂ emissions in 2024/year | Afghanistan per capita | USA per capita | |
|---|---|---|---|
| total | 33.03 m t | 0.77 t | 17.38 t |
| › thereof electricity and heat generation | 2.92 m t | 0.07 t | 4.40 t |
| › thereof transportation | 4.38 m t | 0.10 t | 5.01 t |
| › thereof fuel exploitation | 1.54 m t | 0.04 t | 2.12 t |
| › thereof non-industrial combustion | 1.38 m t | 0.03 t | 1.68 t |
| › thereof agriculture | 15.67 m t | 0.37 t | 1.18 t |
| › thereof manufacturing industry | 3.55 m t | 0.08 t | 1.32 t |
| › thereof industrial processes (steel, cement, etc.) | 1.14 m t | 0.03 t | 1.21 t |
| › thereof waste management | 2.45 m t | 0.06 t | 0.47 t |
Development of CO₂ emissions from 1970 to 2024 in megatons
See also: CO₂ equivalents by country
Production capacities per energy source
The given production capacities for electric energy for the year 2023 have a theoretical value, which can only be obtained under ideal conditions. They are measuring the generatable amount of energy, that would be reached under permanent and full use of all capacities of all power plants.In practice this isn't possible, because e.g. solar collectors are less efficient under clouds. Also wind- and water-power plants are not always operating under full load. All these values are only useful in relation to other energy sources or countries.
The percentage share stated in the table therefore refers to the share of total production - not to the share of theoretical total capacities, as such a comparison would not be meaningful.
| Energy source | total in Afghanistan/year | Percentage in Afghanistan | Percentage USA | per capita in Afghanistan | per capita USA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fossil fuels | 129.36 m kWh | 13.3 % | 58.9 % | 3.03 kWh | 7,372.39 kWh |
| Solar energy | 94.35 m kWh | 9.7 % | 5.6 % | 2.21 kWh | 700.94 kWh |
| Water power | 748.94 m kWh | 77.0 % | 5.6 % | 17.56 kWh | 700.94 kWh |
Usage of renewable energies
Renewable energy includes wind, solar, biomass and geothermal energy sources. This means all energy sources that renew themselves within a short time or are permanently available. Energy from hydropower is only partly a renewable energy. This is certainly the case with river or tidal power plants. Otherwise, numerous dams or reservoirs also produce mixed forms, e.g. by pumping water into their reservoirs at night and recovering energy from them during the day when there is an increased demand for electricity. Since it is not possible to clearly determine the amount of generated energy, all energy from hydropower is displayed separately.In 2022, renewable energy accounted for around 20.0 percent of actual total consumption in Afghanistan. The following chart shows the percentage share from 1990 to 2022:
Data sources
- Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR), Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2025, doi:10.2760/4002897, JRC138862
- Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (2025)
- United States, Office of Public Affairs (2024)
- IRENA, International Renewable Energy Agency (2023)
