Every 2nd person lives in poverty

Unemployment doubled under the Taliban

(Bild: AFP/Wakil KOHSAR)

Unemployment in Afghanistan has more than doubled since the radical Islamic Taliban took power three years ago, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Half of the population lives in poverty.

In a report published on Thursday looking at the past year, the WHO also pointed out the continuing humanitarian need. According to the report, almost a third of the population is affected by a food crisis. That is around 13 million people.

8 out of 10 people have less than one dollar/day
According to the data, the economic impact in 2021 was most pronounced immediately after the takeover, with a decline of just over 20 percent. In the following year, the economy only shrank by around six percent. However, according to the WHO, poverty still affects half of the population. 80 percent of households live on less than one dollar per household member.

An Afghan woman with two children - every tenth child under the age of five is malnourished in the Islamic state.(Bild: AFP)

On Wednesday, the head of the UN Assistance Mission (UNAMA), Rosa Otunbayeva, also drew attention to the precarious humanitarian situation in a speech to the UN Security Council. According to her, only 30 percent of aid funds have been secured for 2024. More than two billion dollars (1.8 billion euros) were missing in support. Unlike in 2023, there are no "remaining funds to fall back on", said Otunbayeva.

The Taliban seized power again in August 2021 after almost 20 years of Western military presence. Following the al-Qaeda attacks on September 11, a US-led military invasion overthrew the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001. The leadership at the time had harbored the terrorist group and the mastermind of the attacks, Osama bin Laden.

Taliban leadership internationally isolated
Even today, the rulers in Kabul are largely isolated internationally. One of the reasons for this is their repressive governance. To date, no country in the world has officially recognized the government of the Islamists. The group is particularly isolated internationally because of its disregard for human rights and women's rights in particular.