Afghanistan: Bank credit to the private sector

* indicates monthly or quarterly data series
 Afghanistan

Bank credit to the private sector as percent of GDP

 Latest value 2.99
 Year 2020
 Measure percent
 Data availability 2006 - 2020
 Average 5.41
 Min - Max 2.99 - 11.58
 Source The World Bank
The latest value from 2020 is 2.99 percent, a decline from 3.17 percent in 2019. In comparison, the world average is 56.14 percent, based on data from 165 countries. Historically, the average for Afghanistan from 2006 to 2020 is 5.41 percent. The minimum value, 2.99 percent, was reached in 2020 while the maximum of 11.58 percent was recorded in 2010. See the global rankings for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.
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* indicates monthly or quarterly data series


Recent data
Afghanistan - Bank credit to the private sector - Recent values chart

Historical series
Afghanistan - Bank credit to the private sector - historical chart - 2006-2020




Bank credit in Afghanistan and other countries is defined as the credit extended by the banking institutions to the private sector only: both firms and households. It does not include lending to the government.

Credit is essential for the economy to function well. It funds new investments and allows people to purchase houses, cars, and other items. Of course, excessive lending and borrowing usually end up in financial crises but, in principle, credit availability is good for economic development.

If the banking credit to the private sector is about 70 percent of GDP and more, then the country has a relatively well developed financial system. The amount of credit can even exceed 200 percent of GDP in some very advanced economies. In some poor countries, the credit could be less than 15 percent of GDP. In these countries, firms and households essentially do not have access to credit for investment and various purchases.
Definition: Domestic credit to private sector by banks refers to financial resources provided to the private sector by other depository corporations (deposit taking corporations except central banks), such as through loans, purchases of nonequity securities, and trade credits and other accounts receivable, that establish a claim for repayment. For some countries these claims include credit to public enterprises.

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 Related indicators Latest Reference Measure
 ATMs per 100,000 adults 1.64 2019 ATMs per 100,000 adults
 Bank accounts per 1000 adults 183.29 2019 bank accounts
 Bank branches per 100,000 people 1.87 2019 bank branches
 Firms using credit to finance investment 2.00 2014 percent
 Small firms with bank credit 3.60 2014 percent
 Percent people with credit cards 0.00 2021 percent
 Percent people with debit cards 2.60 2021 percent
 Domestic credit to the private sector 3.07 2020 percent
 Bank credit to the private sector 2.99 2020 percent
 Liquid liabilities, percent of GDP 37.21 2020 percent
 Bank assets to GDP 2.98 2020 percent
 Financial system deposits, percent of GDP 17.65 2020 percent
 Banking system concentration 65.10 2021 percent
 Percent people with bank accounts 9.65 2021 percent
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