Population structure and change
13
The large majority of households 73 percent have 4 to 9 members, whereas around 19 percent some 650 thousand households accommodate 10 or more people, and only eight percent has three or fewer persons. The population
distribution across household size is much more shifted towards larger households: close to one-third of all Afghans live in households with 10 or more people and less than three percent do so in households with three or fewer people.
Figure 3.2 shows the distribution of households and population by household size.
On average, the share of children amount to almost half of the total household size, although in urban households this share is lower Table 3.3. The small share of elderly of 65 years and over ranges between 2.6 percent in rural
households and 3.2 percent in urban households.
In the Afghan context, the absence of a male head of household can signify a highly vulnerable position of the household members in terms of income security and social protection. Around two percent of households – corresponding to
some 70 thousand households – are female headed. The 2005 NRVA revealed a similar percentage. In similar vein, households headed by young or old people can be in vulnerable conditions. Around 11 percent of households 380
thousand are headed by either heads age 65 and over or under 20.
Figure 3.2 Households and population, by household size in percentage
3.3.2 Marriage patterns
Marital status is a key principle in the social relations in Afghan society. Marriage as a universal phenomenon is indicated by the fact that less than one percent of the population of 35 and over remained unmarried. In the total population,
however, 61 percent is unmarried due to the large weight of the age cohorts under-15 – of whom virtually no one is married – and 15-24 – of whom 73 percent is still unmarried Table 3.4.
Marriage is also the leading determinant of women’s exposure to the risk of pregnancy in countries with low levels of contraceptive use see also Section 8.4.1 in this report. Early marriages lead to early childbearing and a longer period of
exposure of women to reproductive health risks and maternal mortality, as well as to high fertility. In Afghanistan, the mean and median age of first marriage for women currently aged 15-49 are, respectively 17.9 and 18 years. The percentages
of women who were married before they reached age 15, 18 and 20 are, respectively, 8, 35 and 52 percent
1
.
_________________________________________________ 1
Data limitations do not allow corresponding analysis for males.
Population structure and change
14
Table 3.4 Population, by sex, marital status, and by age
Age Sex, marital status
Male Female
Both Sexes Married
Divorced, separated
Widowed Never
married Total
Married Divorced,
separated Widowed
Never married
Total Married
Divorced, separated
Widowed Never
married Total
In thousands
0-14 2
6,222 6,224
4 5,890
5,895 6
1 12,112
12,119 15-24
342 2
2,078 2,423
891 1
7 1,325
2,224 1,233
1 10
3,403 4,647
25-39 1,725
2 7
236 1,970
2,011 4
48 90
2,154 3,736
6 55
326 4,123
40-64 1,667
1 49
11 1,729
1,319 7
318 7
1,651 2,986
8 368
18 3,380
65+ 363
76 2
441 91
3 152
2 248
454 4
227 5
689
Total 4,098
4 135
8,549 12,786
4,317 16
526 7,314
12,172 8,415
20 660
15,863 24,958
In percentages
0-14 100
100 100
100 100
100 15-24
14 86
100 40
60 100
27 73
100 25-39
88 12
100 93
2 4
100 91
1 8
100 40-64
96 3
1 100
80 19
100 88
11 1
100 65+
82 17
1 100
37 1
61 1
100 66
1 33
1 100
Total 32
1 67
100 35
4 60
100 34
3 64
100
While divorce and separation are practically invisible in the marital status distribution, the incidence of widowhood increases with age, especially for women. Whereas around 3 and 17 percent of men aged, respectively, 40-64 and
over-65 are widowers, the corresponding figures for women are 19 and no less than 61 percent. In absolute numbers, Afghanistan has around 135 thousand widowers, but considerably more than half a million widows. The two major
causes of this large number of widows are high male mortality in the last three decades of conflict in Afghanistan and large age differences between spouses. Irrespective of the cause, widowed women can be classified as being in a
vulnerable position.
The marital sex differentiation is clearly visible from Figure 3.3: women tend to get married earlier than men and become widowed earlier and in significantly larger shares.
Figure 3.3 Population, by age, and by marital status, for a males and b females in percentage a.Male b.Female
