The Ebb and Flow of International Aid Money for Afghanistan

A two day EU-hosted conference in Brussels aiming to secure renewed aid for Afghanistan is drawing to a close on Wednesday. The European Union alone has pledged to give 1.2 billion euros ($1.34 billion) for development and reconstruction efforts. The Afghan government is looking to raise $4 billion per year for the next four years in total.

After the Taliban regime was ousted by the US-led invasion in 2001 international aid for Afghanistan skyrocketed. According to the OECD and the World Bank funding reached its peak in 2011, with $6.8 billion invested into the country by the international community.

Since the International Security and Assistance Force ISAF to Afghanistan was disbanded in 2014, the security situation has steadily declined. Many NGOs and government aid bodies are reducing their presence.

Our infographic shows the amount of aid that flowed into Afghanistan ever since the beginning of hostilities some 35 years back, when the Soviet Army invaded Afghanistan to prop up a proxy government in 1979. The 2014 data is the last available official funding data. This date coincides with the end of the ISAF mission.