Afghanistan is one of the least developed countries in the world, ranked at 172 out of 187 countries in the 2011 Human Development Index (UNDP 2011). This is not surprising given years of conflict and natural resource degradation. The country has one of the lowest life expectancies in the world, one of the highest under‐five mortality rates (not to mention maternal mortality), low levels of education, and among the lowest GNI per capita (UNDP 2011). Approximately 36 percent of the population lives below the poverty line (CSO 2009).

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