KabulMetro

**No major new Kabul metro-specific labor market or unemployment statistics were identified in the last 60 days (roughly late April–June 2026).** National/urban figures and anecdotal reports continue to highlight elevated youth joblessness, consistent with (but not updating) the 15.8% national baseline for males aged 15-24.[[1]](https://8am.media/eng/taliban-rule-and-the-grip-of-poverty-nearly-70-of-the-population-unemployed/)[[2]](https://8am.media/eng/kabul-youth-unemployment-job-opportunities/)

A May 18, 2026, report from 8am.media (Hasht-e Subh) specifically on Kabul youth described shrinking job opportunities, rising unemployment, nepotism in hiring, and frustration among young people in the city. It referenced World Bank data noting that unemployment in Afghanistan has doubled overall, with one in four young people jobless. Young Kabul residents interviewed complained of limited prospects, particularly for educated youth.[[2]](https://8am.media/eng/kabul-youth-unemployment-job-opportunities/)[[3]](https://pajhwok.com/2025/08/28/afghanistan-faces-highest-unemployment-rate-citizens-seek-jobs/) Older references (e.g., ILO via UNDP) cite urban youth unemployment exceeding 30%, with services and construction sectors hit hard, but these predate the period.[[1]](https://8am.media/eng/taliban-rule-and-the-grip-of-poverty-nearly-70-of-the-population-unemployed/)

**No significant new political, security, militia, protest, or mass-layoff events specifically targeting or occurring in Kabul metro and directly affecting young men (18-35) were reported in the last 60 days.** Cross-border tensions with Pakistan and protests/crackdowns (e.g., in Herat in June 2026) were noted elsewhere, with limited direct spillover to Kabul in available reporting.[[4]](https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/06/11/afghanistan-taliban-use-excessive-force-against-protesters)[[5]](https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/war-afghanistan) Earlier incidents (e.g., January 2026 ISKP attack in Kabul) fall outside the window. Economic stagnation, high poverty, and returnee-driven labor market pressure remain background factors that could exacerbate youth instability nationally and in urban centers like Kabul, but no acute shocks were flagged.[[6]](https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/country/afghanistan)

**No new NGO or think-tank reports focused specifically on Kabul’s youth situation and published in 2025 (or early 2026) were identified in targeted searches.** Broader 2025 reports (e.g., World Bank Afghanistan Development Updates, UNESCO/UNICEF Education Situation Report 2025) address national youth employment challenges, high NEET rates (42% of adolescents not in education, employment, or training, with girls disproportionately affected at 68%), skills mismatches, and education/livelihood barriers, with urban implications. These align with baseline concerns but are not Kabul-metro specific or newly published in the tracking window.[[7]](https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/777eab7b5ab9802aa3535f1e73fa1456-0310012025/original/Afghanistan-Development-Update-April-2025.pdf)[[8]](https://articles.unesco.org/sites/default/files/medias/fichiers/2025/10/Afghanistan%20Education%20Situation%20Report%202025.pdf)

**Internet/mobile infrastructure developments in Kabul:** In May 2026 (reports dated around May 11–17), sources indicated Taliban authorities ordered cuts or restrictions to residential fibre-optic internet access in Kabul, following the major nationwide fibre-optic and mobile shutdown of late September–early October 2025 (which affected Kabul and lasted ~48 hours before partial restoration). These measures were reportedly linked to preventing “immorality” or for security/intelligence reasons and could limit youth access to information, remote work, or online opportunities.[[9]](https://www.afintl.com/en/202605112124)[[10]](https://8am.media/eng/taliban-digital-prison-internet-shutdown/)[[9]](https://www.afintl.com/en/202605112124)

**Overall assessment:** Developments remain consistent with the baseline (high national youth unemployment at 15.8% for the specified group; national instability fuse at 43/100), with persistent Kabul-specific anecdotal evidence of youth frustration and job scarcity, plus renewed/recent fibre-optic restrictions in the capital. No data points indicate a significant upward or downward shift in the local instability picture for Kabul metro. All sources are national or urban-focused where Kabul is mentioned; truly granular provincial/city-level statistics remain scarce in open reporting.

**Here is a bullet list of relevant Kabul-specific (city/provincial) non-inference data sources, based on public web searches (focusing on machine-readable or downloadable data where possible).** Many Afghan official sources emphasize reports/surveys over live APIs due to the context, with limited real-time municipal data portals. Granularity is often provincial (Kabul Province) or city/district level within Kabul.[[1]](https://ghdx.healthdata.org/organizations/national-statistic-and-information-authority-nsia-afghanistan)[[2]](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-afg)

- **National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA, formerly CSO)**: https://nsia.gov.af/ — No public API (primarily reports/downloads); irregular/survey-based updates (e.g., Afghanistan Living Conditions Survey/ALCS with provincial labor/unemployment, population, and socio-economic data disaggregated to Kabul Province); auth none (public downloads); granularity provincial (Kabul Province) and some urban/rural splits.[[3]](https://washdata.org/sites/default/files/documents/reports/2018-07/Afghanistan%20ALCS%202016-17%20Analysis%20report.pdf)[[4]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Statistics_and_Information_Authority)
- **Kabul Municipality (KM) official site and databases**: https://km.gov.af/english (and linked portals like https://kmplan.km.gov.af, https://rfq.km.gov.af, http://km.cyberaan.com/public/reports/violations) — No dedicated statistics API; partial machine-readable elements (e.g., violation graphs, tender lists, city plans); updates as available (news/tenders ongoing); auth none; granularity Kabul city/district (nahia) level for urban projects, violations, and plans.[[5]](https://km.gov.af/english)
- **Afghanistan Subnational Administrative Boundaries (COD-AB) via HDX**: https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-afg — No API (GeoJSON, shapefiles, Excel downloads); static with periodic updates (latest version ~2026); auth none; granularity admin level 1 (34 provinces, including Kabul) and level 2 (401 districts) for filtering events or data to Kabul Province/city.[[2]](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-afg)[[2]](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-afg)
- **ACLED Afghanistan data (with Kabul-specific coding)**: acleddata.com (country page/explorer; data export) — API available (commercial/research access); near real-time to weekly updates; auth free tier or paid for full/export; granularity event-level with geoprecision codes, district/province names, and improved Kabul city coding—filterable to Kabul via location or admin codes (pairs with HDX boundaries).[[6]](https://acleddata.com/methodology/acleds-methodology-afghanistan)[[7]](https://acleddata.com/update-log/data-update-improved-location-coding-kabul-city-acleds-afghanistan-dataset)
- **Pajhwok Afghan News RSS feed**: https://pajhwok.com/feed/ (or site feeds) — RSS feed (no dedicated API); daily updates; auth none; granularity national with strong Kabul coverage (Dari/Pashto/English local news on events, economy, youth issues).[[8]](https://rss.feedspot.com/afghanistan_news_rss_feeds/)
- **Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) reports**: https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/ (reports/dossiers archive) — No API (PDF/HTML report downloads); irregular (multiple reports per year on Kabul-specific topics like urban life, governance, poverty); auth none; granularity Kabul city/province focus in many analyses (think tank crisis/urban monitoring).[[9]](https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/category/reports/)

**Notes**: Sub-national labor/unemployment data is mainly available via NSIA ALCS surveys (provincial disaggregation, not always city-specific or annual). Think tank/NGO outputs (e.g., AAN, AREU) are mostly qualitative/report-based rather than structured datasets. Local-language feeds are RSS-heavy; municipal stats remain limited post-2021. No prominent paid city-level APIs identified beyond general news or ACLED tiers. Cross-reference with your existing country-level sources (e.g., ACLED national).