Climate zones in Afghanistan, 1991 to 2020
Share of Afghanistan's classified land in each Köppen-Geiger zone in 1991 to 2020. Zones under 0.05% are left out. The 901,345 map cells used cover 100% of the country's outline (about 642,410 km²).
By major group: B (arid) 50%, D (cold (continental)) 39%, C (temperate) 6.7%, E (polar) 4.5%.
Afghanistan has no single dominant climate. The biggest zone, BWh (hot desert), covers only 28% of its classified land in 1991 to 2020, followed by Dsb (22%) and BSk (16%). 8 zones each cover 1% or more of it. In plain terms, hot desert means very dry and hot. Under the middle-of-the-road scenario (SSP2-4.5), 35% of its land is projected to be in a different zone by 2071 to 2099, with the biggest gain going to BSh (hot semi-arid (steppe)).
How Afghanistan's zones have changed and may change
Each row compares a map with 1991 to 2020. "Share in a different zone" is the share of the country's area whose class is different from 1991 to 2020. Future rows are model projections under an emissions scenario, not forecasts.
| Map | Share in a different zone | Different major group | Biggest gain | Biggest loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 to 1930 (past) | 21% | 9.6% | BSh +3.7 percentage points | BSk -5.8 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP1-2.6 (low emissions) | 23% | 7.7% | BSh +5.1 percentage points | BSk -5 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP2-4.5 (middle of the road) | 35% | 11% | BSh +8.2 percentage points | BSk -7.1 percentage points |
| 2071 to 2099, SSP5-8.5 (high emissions) | 57% | 19% | BSh +13.1 percentage points | BSk -10.2 percentage points |
For the past row, the comparison runs the other way: the 1901 to 1930 map against 1991 to 2020.
Zone shares by map
| Zone | 1901 to 1930 | 1991 to 2020 | SSP1-2.6 (2071 to 2099) | SSP2-4.5 (2071 to 2099) | SSP5-8.5 (2071 to 2099) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BWh Hot desert | 27% | 28% | 28% | 29% | 32% |
| Dsb Warm-summer continental with dry summer | 20% | 22% | 20% | 19% | 13% |
| BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe) | 22% | 16% | 11% | 9.3% | 6.1% |
| Dsa Hot-summer continental with dry summer | 8.7% | 8.8% | 11% | 11% | 13% |
| Dsc Subarctic with dry summer | 10% | 7.7% | 5.3% | 3.9% | 2.8% |
| Csa Hot-summer Mediterranean | 3.1% | 6.2% | 8.6% | 9.4% | 10% |
| BSh Hot semi-arid (steppe) | 1.9% | 5.7% | 11% | 14% | 19% |
| ET Tundra | 4.8% | 4.5% | 3.2% | 2.4% | 0.9% |
| Cfa Humid subtropical | - | 0.4% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 1.2% |
| BWk Cold desert | 2.3% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.2% | - |
| Dfb Warm-summer humid continental | - | 0.1% | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| Cwa Humid subtropical with dry winter | 0.3% | - | - | - | - |
| Dwa Hot-summer continental with dry winter | 0.1% | - | - | - | - |
| Dwb Warm-summer continental with dry winter | 0.2% | - | - | - | - |
| Dfa Hot-summer humid continental | - | - | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Dfc Subarctic (boreal) | - | - | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
Percentages are of the country's classified land in each map. A dash means under 0.05%.
Cities in Afghanistan and their climate zones
| City | 1991 to 2020 | 2071 to 2099, SSP2-4.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Kabul | Dsa Hot-summer continental with dry summer | BSk Cold semi-arid (steppe) |
Zones found in Afghanistan
Data: Beck et al. (2023), CC BY 4.0; country outlines from Natural Earth. In 1901 to 1930 the most common zone was BWh. See data sources and licences.