UNFPA: ASSISTING IN EMERGENCIES: Humanitarian Crisis in Afghanistan

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Fact Sheet: Reproductive Health Indicators for Afghanistan

Basic Health Comparison

Basic Health Indicators	Maternal Mortality [Per 100,000]	Infant Mortality [Per 100,000]	Total Fertility Rate [Per woman]
United States	12	7	2
Afghanistan	1700	152	6.9
Least Developed Countries	1000	92	5.2

Source: WHO

Basic demographic information

Total Population	22.720.000
Sex Ratio (M:F)	1.05:1
% of women who are aged 15 - 49	45.3%
% of total population who are women aged 15 - 49	22.1%
Percentage < 5 years of age	19.2%
Total fertility rate (per woman)	6.9

Safe Motherhood reference rates

Crude birth rate (per 1000 population)	51.3
Early (< 7 d) neonatal mortality rate (per 1000 live births)	70.2
Neonatal mortality rate (0 - 4 weeks) (per 1000 live births)	121
Stillbirth rate (per 1000 live births)	70
Maternal mortality ratio (per 100.000 live births)	820 (Est. range: 300-1700)
Lifetime risk of maternal death	1 in 15
Low Birth Weight (%)	20%
Coverage of Antenatal Care (%)	8%
Births attended by trained personnel (%)	8%
Institutional deliveries (% of live births)	n.a.
Unsafe abortion	n.a.
Anaemia in pregnant women (%)	n.a.
Coverage of tetanus vaccination (% of pregnant women)	19%

STDs, including HIV/AIDS

There are no existing prevalence data on HIV/AIDS and STDs in this population

Family Planning

Contraceptive prevalence (% of women 15-49)	2% (1972-1973)
Contraceptive prevalence among Afghan refugee women in Pakistan 2000: - Currently using Family Planning - Contraceptive method mix: Injection Pill IUD Other (including natural methods)	2% (1972-1973) 10% 68% 17% 2% 12%

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Main sources for data

Total population, women of reproductive age, under-five year old
United Nations Population Division

Total fertility rate, crude birth rate
United Nations Population Division

Maternal mortality, lifetime risk
World Health Organization (WHO).

Neonatal mortality, still birth rate and low birth weight
Unpublished revised estimates, World Health Organization (WHO).

Coverage of antenatal care, skilled attendants
World Health Organization (WHO).

Contraceptive prevalence
United Nations Population Division

Contraceptive prevalence among Afghan refugees in Pakistan
B. Tomczyk et. al. - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Tetanus immunization
UNICEF

Note: These are the most recent available data. However, it must be noted that there have been no censuses, or maternal health or demographic surveys in over a decade.