Laws in Afghanistan
How Afghanistan is classified on 26 of the 48 laws this site maps, grouped by subject. Each links to the full answer and its source.
Body & Life
- Abortion
- Illegal (with exceptions) Abortion is prohibited except to save the pregnant person's life.
Money & Games
- Gambling Age
- Gambling prohibited Gambling is prohibited at any age.
- Cryptocurrency
- Banned Cryptocurrency is prohibited.
Daily Life
- Driving Age
- 18+ Minimum age to drive a car: 18.
Animals & Environment
- Fur Farming
- Legal No ban on fur farming.
- Cosmetic Animal Testing
- No ban No ban on testing cosmetics on animals.
- Plastic Bag Bans
- Banned Lightweight plastic bags are banned nationwide.
Civic & Family
- Compulsory Voting
- Voluntary Voting is voluntary.
Relationships & Sexuality
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Not recognized Same-sex unions have no legal recognition.
- Same-Sex Activity
- Death penalty possible Same-sex sexual activity is a criminal offence that can carry the death penalty.
- Age of Consent
- Must be married Sexual activity is only lawful within marriage in Afghanistan.
- Sex Work
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal with punishments ranging from 5 to 15 years imprisonment.
- Same-Sex Adoption
- Not permitted Same-sex couples cannot adopt.
- Incest Laws
- Criminal offense
- Marriage Age
- Under 16 possible Afghanistan allows marriage from puberty for both males and females without requiring parental or judicial consent.
Speech & Belief
- Blasphemy Laws
- Death penalty possible Blasphemy is prohibited under Sharia and can be punished by execution, with arrests occurring since 2021.
- Apostasy Laws
- Death penalty possible Apostasy is a crime punishable by death under Hanafi jurisprudence applied by Afghan courts.
- Holocaust Denial
- No specific law No specific law against Holocaust denial.
- Conversion Therapy
- No ban No legal ban on conversion therapy.
Justice & Weapons
- Death Penalty
- Retained / in use Retained in law and used.
- Gun Laws
- Restrictive Handguns are licensed only at the authorities' discretion, or only to club members or existing owners.
- Military Conscription
- No conscription
Substances
- Cannabis
- Illegal Cannabis is illegal for all purposes.
- Drinking Age
- Alcohol prohibited
- Smoking Age
- 18 Minimum age to buy tobacco: 18.
- E-Cigarettes
- Legal / lightly regulated E-cigarettes are legal, subject to an age limit.
Nearby countries
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.