Afghanistan has no current reliable religious census. Estimates put the Muslim population at more than 99 percent. Most Muslims are Sunni and follow the Hanafi tradition; estimates of the Shia population range from about 11 to 29 percent. Many Hazaras are Shia, while some are Sunni. Ismailis live particularly in Badakhshan and parts of central and northern Afghanistan. Sikh and Hindu communities are very small; six Hindus were reported for 2023 and about 100 Sikhs for 2025, although these figures are uncertain. There are no reliable population figures for Christians, Baha’is or Ahmadis; many members of these groups live concealed or have emigrated. Mosques, private clerics, Ulema councils and Quran schools shape religious life. Common practices include daily prayers, Friday prayers, fasting during Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and Quran instruction. Men’s congregational prayers are monitored and prescribed religiously. Depending on the location, women face requirements concerning the hijab, a mahram escort (Mahram) and gender segregation; access to mosques may be locally restricted. Shia worship takes place mainly in Shia mosques or privately, while public rituals and Ashura events have been obstructed or banned in several provinces. In 2026, Shia clerics were arrested in at least eight provinces because they did not follow the Hanafi Eid date set by the Taliban. The Taliban claim an Islamic Emirate (Islamisches Emirat) and present Sunni Hanafi legal interpretation as the basis of the order. However, there is no uniform and consistently applied legal framework; older laws apply only insofar as they do not conflict with Sharia under this interpretation. The Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Ministerium für die Förderung der Tugend und Verhütung des Lasters) controls, among other things, clothing, women’s public voices, gender segregation, media content and men’s participation in congregational prayers. It employs male inspectors in many provinces and may order detention, property damage or referral to courts. Apostasy, conversion from Islam, open criticism of religion and public Christian, Baha’i or Ahmadi expression carry an extremely high risk of persecution and punishment. Divergent Shia practice also carries significant risks; the Islamic State in Khorasan particularly attacks Shia and Hazara people. Religious minorities do not have reliably protected open access to worship. Shia and Ismaili communities report pressure, arrests and displacement. In 2025, according to the UN Special Rapporteur, at least 50 Ismaili men in Badakhshan were forcibly converted to the Sunni orientation. Shia content was removed from jurisprudence, schools, universities and teaching materials. In 2024, the Ministry of Education reported a total of 21,257 Islamic education centers. A unified curriculum for schools and Quran schools was planned, with Islamic subjects expected to account for nearly half of instructional time. Girls from the sixth grade onward and women in higher education remain excluded from regular educational access; girls’ access to Quran schools is also increasingly restricted. In higher education, subjects including religious history were removed in 2025, and 679 books and materials were scheduled for removal. Religious holidays and life events are also subject to control. Ramadan, prayers and business hours are monitored. At weddings and funerals, religious requirements and restrictions apply to spending considered excessive. An Islamic marriage contract (Nikah) is usually conducted by a state-authorized mullah; judicial confirmation and a green or white marriage book may be possible. Costs and duration depend on the cleric or court. Local bans on marriages between Sunnis and Shia have been reported in Paktia, Nimruz and Badakhshan, among other places. For the Hajj, registration takes place annually in Kabul and the provinces through the relevant departments of the Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs (Ministerium für Hadsch und religiöse Angelegenheiten). Access, quotas, payment, and vaccination and health certificates depend on the relevant season and Saudi rules; the cost was AFN 282,090 per person in 2025 and AFN 266,400 in 2026, with a quota of 30,000 people for 2025. There are meetings with Shia, Hindu and Sikh councils, as well as individual cooperation concerning religious sites and festivals. However, no independent, equal and effective protection mechanism for interreligious dialogue has been documented. Actual religious freedom therefore depends heavily on religious affiliation, region, visible practice and the prevailing security situation.
Religion in Afghanistan
More than 99 percent of Afghanistan’s population is Muslim according to available estimates, with Sunni Hanafi practice predominating. Shia, Ismaili, Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Baha’i, Ahmadi and non-religious people form small or regionally concentrated groups. Religious practice, access to education and public expression are strongly shaped by the de facto Islamic order and local security conditions.
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