Afghanistan

In 2024, Afghanistan was the world’s 11th-ranked producer of talc, accounting for 2.6% of global production. Other mineral commodities produced in the country included cement, chromite, fluorspar, precious and semiprecious gemstones, gypsum, salt, sand and gravel, steel, and crushed and unspecified stone. Production of mineral commodities represented only a minor part of the economy of Afghanistan. Afghanistan exported talc to Turkey and Uzbekistan. The legislative framework for the mineral sector in Afghanistan is provided by the Minerals Law of 2019 and the Mining Regulations of 2019. 

The Ministry of Mining and Petroleum (MoMP) oversees the mineral sector and assigns new mining licenses and contracts. Mineral resources in the country were fully owned by the Government. The exploration, production, processing, and trade of most mineral commodities required licenses and were operated by domestic private companies, and major exploration projects were conducted by Chinese companies. Talc production is predominantly concentrated in Nangarhar Province. 

In 2024, Afghanistan was the world’s 11th-ranked producer of talc, accounting for 2.6% of global production. Other mineral commodities produced in the country included cement, chromite, coal, crushed stone, fluorspar, precious and semiprecious gemstones, gypsum, salt, sand and gravel, steel, and unspecified stone. Data on mineral production are in the Production table (formerly table 1). The share of mineral commodity production in the country’s economy was unknown. Afghanistan exported talc to Turkey and Uzbekistan (Brioche, 2026; Trade Data Monitor, 2025). 

The legislative framework for the mineral sector in Afghanistan is provided by the Mining Regulations of 2019 and Minerals Law of 2019. The Ministry of Mining and Petroleum (MoMP) oversees the mineral sector and assigns new mining licenses and contracts. Mineral resources in the country were fully owned by the Government. The exploration, production, processing, and trade of most mineral commodities required licenses and were operated by domestic private companies, and major exploration projects were conducted by Chinese companies. The Facilities table (formerly table 2) is a list of major mineral industry facilities. More-extensive coverage of Government policies and programs can be found in previous editions of this chapter in the U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook, volume III, Area Reports—International—Asia and the Pacific, which are available at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/asia-… (Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, 2025a, p. 1, 9–15; 2025b, p. 1). 

Afghanistan had 38 known talc mines in the country. Of these, 36 were located in Nangarhar Province and accounted for over 99% of known talc production capacity in the country. Prior to the establishment of the new Government in 2022, talc-mining activity was predominantly unregulated and Pakistan was historically the largest importer of talc from Afghanistan. Since the establishment of the new Government, exports to other countries such as Turkey and Uzbekistan have increased (Global Witness, 2018, p. 4; Byrd, 2025; Trade Data Monitor, 2025). 

Production table

(Metric tons, gross weight, unless otherwise specified)

References Cited 

• Brioche, A.S., 2026, Talc and pyrophyllite: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, p. 184–185. 

• Byrd, William, 2025, Afghanistan’s critical minerals aren’t a great investment: Washington, DC, Lawfare Institute, May 22. (Accessed September 2, 2025, at https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/afghanistan-s-critical-minerals-ar….) 

• Global Witness, 2018, The Islamic State, the Taliban, and Afghanistan’s white talc mountains: London, United Kingdom, Global Witness, May, 71 p. (Accessed December 8, 2025, at https://web.archive.org/web/20210815135809/https://www.globalwitness.or….) 

• Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, 2025a, Laws and regulation—Minerals law, 2019: Kabul, Afghanistan, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, 53 p. (Accessed September 2, 2025, at https://momp.gov.af/sites/default/files/minerals_law_2019english.pdf.)  

• Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, 2025b, Laws and regulation—Mining regulations, 2019: Kabul, Afghanistan, Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, 84 p. (Accessed September 2, 2025, at https://momp.gov.af/sites/default/files/mining_regulations_2019_english….)  

• Trade Data Monitor, 2025, Trade Data Monitor: Geneva, Switzerland, Trade Data Monitor. (Accessed November 29, 2025, via https://www.tdmlogin.com/.)