Kabul – The United Nations says Afghanistan’s gross domestic product (GDP) has declined by 20 percent during a year since the Taliban takeover.
Abdallah Abdel Razzaq Al Dardari, head of the UN’s development program in Afghanistan, described the decline as “the worst economic collapse in history” on Wednesday, December 1.
“During my work in Syria, Venezuela, Lebanon, and other countries, I had never seen such an immediate and sudden decline in GDP, said Al Dardari in a report published by the UN.
In addition, Al Dardari called the situation an “economic contraction” and said it was on par with the five-year civil war in Syria.
“Afghanistan has never been strong enough to withstand the Corona epidemic, drought, and Taliban domination,” said UN.
According to the UN, the economic downturn in Afghanistan shows the fragility of this country.
The crisis in Afghanistan is so deep-rooted that even by freeing up foreign exchange reserves and providing cash assistance, it cannot be prevented, according to the report.
The Taliban’s policies are exacerbating the crisis and collapse in Afghanistan, the report stated.
The UN is concerned about the situation in Afghanistan while with nine out of 10 Afghan citizens expected to be at risk of poverty next year.
Meanwhile, 18 million Afghans are currently at risk of starvation, according to the UN survey.