Photo: Afghanistan Matters · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 17 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Afghanistan: Digital & Technology
How ready is a country to use, make and trade technology?
Afghanistan is placed 194th of 198 countries on digital & technology in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: GovTech Maturity Index 0.121 (2025); Government AI Readiness Index 15.72 (2025).
Share
Digital & Technology
194th
of 198 countries placed
Placed from 3 of 4 key statistics
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Afghanistan on digital & technology — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
0.121
GTMI score (0–1)
Higher is better
Afghanistan: 0.121. Across the 196 countries in this edition, values run from 0.01 (North Korea) to 0.997 (South Korea); the world median is 0.63.
- World median
- 0.63
- Best in Southern Asia
- 0.969 India
- Land neighbours
- China 0.651 · Iran 0.686 · Pakistan 0.679 · Tajikistan 0.294 · Turkmenistan 0.146 · Uzbekistan 0.958
15.72
AI readiness score (0–100)
Higher is better
Ranked 188th of 195 by Oxford Insights
Afghanistan: 15.72. Across the 195 countries in this edition, values run from 12.12 (Guinea-Bissau) to 88.36 (United States); the world median is 40.19.
- World median
- 40.19
- Best in Southern Asia
- 66.55 India
- Land neighbours
- China 76.27 · Iran 48.34 · Pakistan 45.38 · Tajikistan 29.08 · Turkmenistan 22.5 · Uzbekistan 56.11
Key 3 of 4
Government Cyber Security Capacity
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY-SA 4.0
-1.031
Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.7); higher = more capacity
Higher is better
Afghanistan: -1.031. Across the 176 countries in this edition, values run from -2.66 (Liberia) to 3.715 (Estonia); the world median is 0.196.
- World median
- 0.196
- Best in Southern Asia
- 1.008 India
- Land neighbours
- China 3.226 · Iran -0.66 · Pakistan 0.743 · Tajikistan 0 · Turkmenistan -0.787 · Uzbekistan -0.617
Key 4 of 4
Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports
UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 3.0 IGO
No reading
Digitally-deliverable services exports (% of services exports)
Higher is better
UNCTAD publishes no 2024 figure for Afghanistan, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 170 countries in this edition, values run from 0.377 (Gambia) to 87.15 (Ireland); the world median is 25.42.
- World median
- 25.42
- Best in Southern Asia
- 78.01 India
- Land neighbours
- China 50.47 · Iran 11.7 · Pakistan 63.58 · Tajikistan 24.67 · Uzbekistan 16.22
02Over time
Which way Afghanistan is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Government AI Readiness Index
AI readiness score (0–100) · higher is better
AfghanistanWorld median
Afghanistan fell from 24.77 in 2020 to 15.72 in 2025; the world median went from 39.58 to 40.19.
Every year’s figures
Year Afghanistan World median 2025 16 40.2 2024 17 43.3 2023 21 41.4 2022 13 40.3 2021 24 44.1 2020 25 39.6 Government Cyber Security Capacity
Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.7); higher = more capacity · higher is better
AfghanistanWorld median
Afghanistan rose from -2.35 in 2000 to -1.031 in 2025; the world median went from -0.514 to 0.196.
Every year’s figures
Year Afghanistan World median 2025 -1.03 0.20 2024 -1.56 0.11 2023 -1.56 0.14 2022 -1.56 0.16 2021 -2.43 0.12 2020 -1.81 0.12 2019 -1.81 0.10 2018 -1.81 -0.05 2017 -1.81 -0.08 2016 -1.81 -0.10 2015 -1.81 -0.17 2014 -1.81 -0.21 2013 -2.35 -0.21 2012 -2.35 -0.25 2011 -2.35 -0.32 2010 -2.35 -0.31 2009 -2.35 -0.50 2008 -2.35 -0.51 2007 -2.35 -0.51 2006 -2.35 -0.55 2005 -2.35 -0.55 2004 -2.35 -0.55 2003 -2.35 -0.55 2002 -2.35 -0.51 2001 -2.35 -0.51 2000 -2.35 -0.51 Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports
Digitally-deliverable services exports (% of services exports) · higher is better
AfghanistanWorld median
Afghanistan rose from 38.41 in 2010 to 53.32 in 2020; the world median went from 19.88 to 29.47.
Every year’s figures
Year Afghanistan World median 2024 — 25.42 2023 — 26.03 2022 — 26.04 2021 — 29.80 2020 53.318 29.47 2019 33.570 18.36 2018 33.766 20.09 2017 45.903 18.32 2016 33.768 18.15 2015 37.311 19.57 2014 34.563 21.00 2013 33.830 20.50 2012 34.399 19.56 2011 41.037 19.21 2010 38.413 19.88
03In context
Afghanistan beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 198 countries on digital & technology, never a place within the region.
Afghanistan and the countries it borders
Standing among all 198; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | GovTech Maturity IndexGTMI score (0–1) | Government AI Readiness IndexAI readiness score (0–100) | Government Cyber Security CapacityOriginal latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.7); higher = more capacity | Digitally-Deliverable Services ExportsDigitally-deliverable services exports (% of services exports) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 China | =23rd | 0.651 | 76.27 | 3.226 | 50.47 |
 Pakistancompare | 54th | 0.679 | 45.38 | 0.743 | 63.58 |
 Uzbekistan | 79th | 0.958 | 56.11 | -0.617 | 16.22 |
 Iran | =109th | 0.686 | 48.34 | -0.66 | 11.7 |
 Tajikistan | 122nd | 0.294 | 29.08 | 0 | 24.67 |
 Turkmenistan | 172nd | 0.146 | 22.5 | -0.787 | — |
| Afghanistan | 194th | 0.121 | 15.72 | -1.031 | — |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Southern Asia
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 198.
Placed either side on digital & technology
The countries immediately above and below Afghanistan in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Afghanistan is ahead of the world, and behind
11 more statistics filed under digital & technology, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median1
Statistics on which Afghanistan does better than the middle country measured.
Firms Experiencing Internet DisruptionsWorld Bank Group · 2026 · world median 32.3529.7832.35No earlier reading
Afghanistan: 29.78 · world median 32.35 · Firms that experienced internet outages or slow-downs (%). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 0.735 to 82.39; lower is better.
Position 89th of 163 · derived, 1st = worst.
Behind the world median7
Statistics on which Afghanistan does worse than the middle country measured.
Firms with Their Own WebsiteWorld Bank Group · 2026 · world median 62.394562.39No earlier reading
Afghanistan: 45 · world median 62.39 · Firms with their own website (%). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 1.824 to 97.88; higher is better.
Position 130th of 181 · derived.
Government Internet ShutdownsV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2025 · world median 1.023-0.9241.023▼ Worsened since 2015
Afghanistan: -0.924 · world median 1.023 · Original latent estimate (≈ −4 to +2); higher = fewer shutdowns. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from -3.547 to 2.081; higher is better.
Position 142nd of 176 · derived.
Share of Firms' Payments Made ElectronicallyWorld Bank Group · 2026 · world median 64.2218.2764.22No earlier reading
Afghanistan: 18.27 · world median 64.22 · Payments made electronically in a typical month, excluding payroll and payments to government (%). World Bank Group, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 2.172 to 99.91; higher is better.
Government Dissemination of False Information (Domestic)V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2025 · world median -0.114-2.297-0.114▼ Worsened since 2015
Afghanistan: -2.297 · world median -0.114 · Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.2); higher = less disinformation. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from -3.392 to 2.93; higher is better.
Position 162nd of 176 · derived.
Government Social Media CensorshipV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2025 · world median 0.505-1.8230.505▼ Worsened since 2015
Afghanistan: -1.823 · world median 0.505 · Original latent estimate (≈ −4.5 to +2.4); higher = less censorship. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from -3.721 to 2.295; higher is better.
Position 163rd of 176 · derived.
Frontier Technology Readiness IndexUNCTAD · 2023 · world median 0.4850.1080.485▼ Worsened since 2013
Afghanistan: 0.108 · world median 0.485 · Frontier Technology Readiness Index (0–1). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 1; higher is better.
Position 166th of 170 · derived.
AI User Share of the Working-Age PopulationMicrosoft AI Economy Institute · 2026 · world median 15.456.315.45No real change since 2025
Afghanistan: 6.3 · world median 15.45 · Generative-AI users (% of population aged 15–64). Microsoft AI Economy Institute, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 6.1 to 73.3; higher is better.
No better end3
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
GitHub RepositoriesGitHub · 2026 · world median 141,45488,059141,454Moved since 2020
Afghanistan: 88,059 · world median 141,454 · Public repositories located in the economy (as of quarter end). GitHub, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 142 to 77,284,974.
GitHub DevelopersGitHub · 2026 · world median 84,67059,95784,670Moved since 2020
Afghanistan: 59,957 · world median 84,670 · Developer accounts located in the economy (as of quarter end). GitHub, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 110 to 32,410,529.
GitHub Git PushesGitHub · 2025 · world median 148,71442,862148,714Moved since 2020
Afghanistan: 42,862 · world median 148,714 · Git pushes during the quarter. GitHub, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 1,967 to 40,768,192.
No current reading for Afghanistan
Anthropic AI Usage Index, Digital Services Trade Restrictiveness Index, Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports (last 2020), ICT Goods Exports (last 2019), ICT Services Exports (last 2020), Internet Use Among Adults, Made or Received a Digital Payment (last 2021), Mobile Phone Ownership, Primary Schools with Internet for Teaching, Share of Graduates from ICT Programmes (last 2020) and Smartphone Ownership. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
05Country Index 2026
Digital & Technology among Afghanistan’s 13 topics
Digital & Technology is Afghanistan’s 12th best-placed topic of 13. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Energy16th of 1652/3 keys
- Environment & Sustainabilityjoint 97th of 1864/4 keys
- Economy & Innovation131st of 1762/4 keys
- Food & Agriculture155th of 1843/4 keys
- Peace & Securityjoint 160th of 1774/4 keys
- Risk & Resilience178th of 1934/4 keys
- Governance & Institutions179th of 1944/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing190th of 2004/4 keys
- Gender & Equality175th of 1833/4 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties190th of 1984/4 keys
- Development & Human Capital189th of 1963/3 keys
- Digital & Technology194th of 1983/4 keys
- Work & Labour182nd of 1824/4 keys
No standing on Education & Knowledge, Mobility & Trade, Poverty & Inequality: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
Who leads on digital & technology
The three countries placed highest of 198, and the leaders Afghanistan can most readily be measured against.
=1
EstoniaNorthern Europe
Joint 1st of 198 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Andrus Uuetalu derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0 ee, greyscale
=1
South KoreaEastern Asia
Joint 1st of 198 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
3
SingaporeSouth-eastern Asia
3rd of 198 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Khairul Nizam . · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Asia
South Korea=1st4/4 keysHighest in Southern Asia
India5th4/4 keysThis page
Afghanistan194th3/4 keys
Positions out of 198 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Questions
Afghanistan on digital & technology: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Afghanistan rank on digital & technology?
Afghanistan is placed 194th of 198 countries on Digital & Technology in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 4 key statistics (GovTech Maturity Index, Government AI Readiness Index and Government Cyber Security Capacity). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest GovTech Maturity Index figure for Afghanistan?
0.121 in 2025 (gTMI score (0–1)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 0.63.
What is the latest Government AI Readiness Index figure for Afghanistan?
15.72 in 2025 (aI readiness score (0–100)), according to Oxford Insights. The world median in the same edition was 40.19.
How does Afghanistan compare with China on digital & technology?
China is placed joint 23rd of 198, and Afghanistan 194th. GovTech Maturity Index: China 0.651, Afghanistan 0.121; Government AI Readiness Index: China 76.27, Afghanistan 15.72; Government Cyber Security Capacity: China 3.226, Afghanistan -1.031.
How have Afghanistan’s digital & technology figures changed?
Government AI Readiness Index fell from 24.77 in 2020 to 15.72 in 2025; Government Cyber Security Capacity rose from -2.35 in 2000 to -1.031 in 2025; Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports rose from 38.41 in 2010 to 53.32 in 2020.
Which digital & technology statistics are missing for Afghanistan?
No current reading is published for Afghanistan on Anthropic AI Usage Index, Digital Services Trade Restrictiveness Index, Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports, ICT Goods Exports, ICT Services Exports, Internet Use Among Adults, Made or Received a Digital Payment, Mobile Phone Ownership, Primary Schools with Internet for Teaching, Share of Graduates from ICT Programmes and Smartphone Ownership. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
08Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
Broadband and mobile subscriptions, connection speeds and the cost of getting online are absent, for the licence reason above; internet use and phone ownership, from the World Bank’s own household survey, and firms’ websites and internet disruptions, from its Enterprise Surveys, are published here as context. The ICT share of goods exports votes under Mobility & Trade. Digital public services and data-protection law are not held yet. Research and development spending is filed under Education & Knowledge, and what an economy knows how to make is under Economy & Innovation.
How the Digital & Technology standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 4 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 4 keys to be placed.
The digital & technology method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- GovTech Maturity Index — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Government AI Readiness Index — Oxford Insights, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Government Cyber Security Capacity — V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports — UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), CC BY 3.0 IGO
The other 11 statistics on this page come from 5 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Afghanistan’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Afghanistan (banner) — Afghanistan Matters, CC BY 2.0
- Estonia — Andrus Uuetalu derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0 ee
- South Korea — Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Singapore — Khairul Nizam ., CC BY 2.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Afghanistan: Digital & Technology — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/afghanistan/digital