Afghanistan, April 20 -- The World Bank paints a bleak economic picture of Afghanistan due to the absence of GDP growth and decreasing external financing avenues for off-budget expenditures.

Afghanistan experienced a severe economic downturn, with a 20.7 percent contraction in GDP in 2021, followed by a further 6.2 percent contraction in 2022, according to a World Bank report.

Despite some resilience in rural areas from the agricultural and subsistence economy, the country faced challenges such as higher prices, reduced demand, lower employment, and disruptions to services, affecting the entire nation.

The proportion of households unable to afford basic food needs doubled from 16 percent to 36 percent during this period, indicating a w...