KabulMetro

**No major new local labor market statistics specific to Kabul metro (city or provincial) unemployment rates for 15-24 males or broader youth (18-35) were identified in the last 60 days (roughly May–early July 2026).** National figures remain consistent with the baseline (youth unemployment 15-24 male ~15.8% in 2025; overall youth unemployment around 16.8% per recent ILO-modeled estimates).[[1]](https://www.destatis.de/EN/Themes/Countries-Regions/International-Statistics/Country-Profiles/afghanistan.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=21)[[2]](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/SLUEM1524ZSAFG)

Urban youth unemployment has historically been reported higher (e.g., over 30% in some older ILO references), but no Kabul-specific updates emerged.[[3]](https://8am.media/eng/taliban-rule-and-the-grip-of-poverty-nearly-70-of-the-population-unemployed/)

**A May 18, 2026, report from Hasht-e Subh (8am.media) provides qualitative insights into Kabul youth (young men with degrees/experience) facing acute job scarcity.** It highlights shrinking private-sector opportunities since the Taliban takeover, with government roles often reserved for those with Taliban ties or ethnic/nepotistic connections. Young men report being pushed into migration, temporary/low-paying unskilled labor, or mismatched roles, with impacts on mental health, financial stability (e.g., rent arrears), and exploitation (long hours for low pay, such as 6,000–7,000 AFN/month in demanding private-sector work). Private companies are described as exploiting the oversupply of labor. The article notes Taliban discussions of sending workers abroad (e.g., to Russia) and limited visas (e.g., Turkey’s 20,000).[[4]](https://8am.media/eng/kabul-youth-unemployment-job-opportunities/)[[4]](https://8am.media/eng/kabul-youth-unemployment-job-opportunities/)

This aligns with national trends of economic contraction, doubled unemployment since earlier years, high poverty (>90%), and reliance on aid, but is Kabul-specific in its focus on local youth voices.[[3]](https://8am.media/eng/taliban-rule-and-the-grip-of-poverty-nearly-70-of-the-population-unemployed/)[[5]](https://newcomb.tulane.edu/sites/default/files/2026-01/Afghanistan%20Humanitarian%20Crisis%20Report.%20AWPLN%20and%20Newcomb%20Institute.%20January%2029%202026.pdf)

**No significant political, security, or economic events directly tied to Kabul metro and affecting young men (18-35) were identified in the last 60 days.** National security incidents rose (e.g., 3,687 verified incidents Feb–Apr 2026, up 57.7% YoY, including some in Kabul province), but no Kabul-specific protests, militia activity, crackdowns, or mass layoffs in city industries. A June 9, 2026, protest incident with excessive force occurred in Herat (not Kabul).[[6]](https://kabulnow.com/2026/06/un-chiefs-new-report-shows-over-50-rise-in-security-incidents-in-afghanistan/)[[7]](https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/06/11/afghanistan-taliban-use-excessive-force-against-protesters) Broader concerns include returnee inflows straining opportunities and extremist recruitment risks amid poverty/unemployment, but these are national.[[8]](https://afghanistan.asia-news.com/en_GB/articles/cnmi_st/features/2026/06/10/feature-01)

**No new Kabul-specific NGO or think-tank reports on youth (published 2025 or later) were found.** Broader 2025–2026 national assessments (e.g., World Bank, UN, humanitarian updates) reiterate high youth unemployment, poverty, and labor market deterioration, with women/youth most affected and limited private-sector recovery.[[9]](https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/777eab7b5ab9802aa3535f1e73fa1456-0310012025/original/Afghanistan-Development-Update-April-2025.pdf)[[5]](https://newcomb.tulane.edu/sites/default/files/2026-01/Afghanistan%20Humanitarian%20Crisis%20Report.%20AWPLN%20and%20Newcomb%20Institute.%20January%2029%202026.pdf)

**No major new internet/mobile infrastructure changes (shutdowns, rollouts, or outages) in Kabul during the last 60 days.** A nationwide fiber-optic and mobile internet shutdown occurred in September–October 2025 (extending to Kabul), justified by authorities on morality grounds and causing widespread disruptions to business, education, and communications; services largely resumed after ~2 days. A May 11, 2026, report referenced possible further restrictions on residential fiber-optic in Kabul, but no confirmation of a sustained new outage or rollout.[[10]](https://www.afintl.com/en/202605112124)[[11]](https://blog.cloudflare.com/nationwide-internet-shutdown-in-afghanistan/)[[12]](https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/10/01/afghanistan-internet-shutdowns-imperil-rights)

**Overall assessment:** No developments in the last 60 days indicate a significant shift from the provided baseline for Kabul metro youth instability. Persistent qualitative reports of high youth unemployment, nepotism, and economic pressures in Kabul reinforce ongoing risks without new quantitative triggers or acute events. National-level data continues to show structural challenges that disproportionately affect urban youth. Sources primarily include 8am.media (May 18, 2026 article) and aggregated UN/World Bank/ILO references.

**NSIA (National Statistics and Information Authority) Statistical Yearbooks & Subnational Datasets**  
- **URL**: https://nsia.gov.af/ (yearbooks and reports; subnational via HDX mirrors)  
- **API**: No (PDF downloads and Excel tables)  
- **Update frequency**: Annual (yearbooks); irregular for surveys  
- **Auth required**: None (public downloads)  
- **Geographic granularity**: National + province-level (e.g., Kabul Province population, socio-demographic surveys); some older district-level.[[1]](https://ghdx.healthdata.org/organizations/national-statistic-and-information-authority-nsia-afghanistan)[[2]](https://nsia.gov.af:8443/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Statistical-Year-book-2020.pdf)

**HDX Afghanistan Subnational Population Statistics (COD-PS) & Administrative Boundaries (COD-AB)**  
- **URL**: https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-afg and https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-afg  
- **API**: No (direct downloads: XLSX, GeoJSON, SHP)  
- **Update frequency**: Periodic updates (e.g., 2021 estimates based on 2017 study; boundaries version 03)  
- **Auth required**: None (free registration optional)  
- **Geographic granularity**: Admin 1 (34 provinces, including Kabul) and Admin 2 (districts); supports filtering to Kabul Province/districts.[[3]](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ps-afg)[[4]](https://data.humdata.org/dataset/cod-ab-afg)

**Kabul Municipality (km.gov.af) – Official Site & Databases**  
- **URL**: https://km.gov.af/english  
- **API**: No (static pages, weather, limited databases)  
- **Update frequency**: Irregular/as available  
- **Auth required**: None  
- **Geographic granularity**: Kabul city/municipality level (22 nahias/districts); basic operational data only.[[5]](https://km.gov.af/english)

**ACLED Afghanistan Events (with subnational coding)**  
- **URL**: acleddata.com (Afghanistan dataset)  
- **API**: Yes (ACLED API for event queries)  
- **Update frequency**: Real-time/weekly updates  
- **Auth required**: Free registration for API access  
- **Geographic granularity**: Events coded to provinces, districts, or precise locations in Afghanistan (filterable to Kabul Province/districts via admin boundaries or geoprecision codes).[[6]](https://acleddata.com/sites/default/files/wp-content-archive/uploads/2021/11/ACLED_Conflict-in-Afghanistan_V4_September-2021.pdf)

**Hasht-e Subh (8AM Media) RSS Feed**  
- **URL**: https://8am.media/eng/feed (English; Dari/Pashto versions available)  
- **API**: Partial (standard RSS; no dedicated news API)  
- **Update frequency**: Daily  
- **Auth required**: None  
- **Geographic granularity**: Kabul-focused coverage (national with strong capital emphasis).[[7]](https://8am.media/eng/)

**TOLOnews Website & Content**  
- **URL**: https://tolonews.com/  
- **API**: No (website; some third-party news APIs aggregate it)  
- **Update frequency**: Multiple times daily  
- **Auth required**: None  
- **Geographic granularity**: Strong Kabul/urban Afghanistan focus.[[8]](https://tolonews.com/)

**UN-Habitat / Related Urban Reports (e.g., State of Afghan Cities)**  
- **URL**: unhabitat.org (search for Afghan cities reports)  
- **API**: No (PDFs with datasets)  
- **Update frequency**: Irregular/project-based  
- **Auth required**: None  
- **Geographic granularity**: City-level (Kabul nahias, urban poverty, land-use).[[9]](https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/download-manager-files/State%20of%20Afghan%20Cities%202015%20Volume_1.pdf)

**Notes**: No public machine-readable APIs or frequent machine-readable subnational labor/unemployment data disaggregated specifically to Kabul Province were identified beyond national aggregates or one-off older surveys (e.g., ALCS). Most official data remains in PDFs or aggregated HDX layers. Local media RSS provides the most timely Kabul-specific signals. All listed sources are publicly accessible as of 2026.