Head of state
DisputedLeader of the Taliban, styled Supreme Leader (Amir al-Mu'minin) by the de facto authorities; the CIA lists him as 'Overall Taliban Leader'. Disputed because only Russia formally recognises the Islamic Emirate.
Country · Asia
Afghanistan
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (name used by the de facto authorities)
gp:country/afgComplete
Contested authority: the Taliban exercise power across Afghanistan but are formally recognised only by Russia, so the head of state, head of government and government are marked 'disputed'; individual ministerial seats are 'sourced' as statements of who holds each post within the de facto administration. No official page was used: no page of the de facto authorities was opened for this check. Seats follow Wikipedia's Akhund cabinet page (edited 7 October 2026); the CIA World Leaders list (updated 3 September 2026) agrees for every post it covers and marks the Prime Minister, deputy prime ministers and most ministers as 'Acting'; titles here omit 'acting'. The CIA list shows a third Deputy Prime Minister post with no holder. Urban Development and Housing is not recorded: Wikipedia lists Najibullah Haqqani there from 29 June 2025 with an unclear label, and no other source was opened. Wikipedia's table also shows an unnamed entry in Hajj and Religious Affairs from 4 May 2026; Noor Mohammad Saqib is kept because the CIA list (September 2026) still names him. Transliterations vary (Mohammad Khalid is 'Khalid Hanifi' in the CIA list; Muttaqi/Motaqi, Baradar/Berader, Haybatullah/Hibatullah, Abdul Hakim Haqqani/Sharai). The Director of Intelligence (Abdul Haq Wasiq) is not recorded as a seat. No start dates are given for the two leaders because the sources opened did not state them consistently.
- Head of state
- Hibatullah AkhundzadaSupreme Leader
- Head of government
- Hasan AkhundPrime Minister
- System
- Islamic theocracy under de facto Taliban ruleCapital: Kabul
- UN e-government rank
- 188 of 193EGDI 2024
Afghanistan is an islamic theocracy under de facto taliban rule[1][2]. The head of state is Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada[4][5][6]. The government is led by Prime Minister Hasan Akhund, in office since 7 Sept 2021[4][5][6]. Govpedia records 29 members of its cabinet.
At a glance[3]
- Capital
- Kabul
- Region
- Southern Asia
- Area
- 652,230 km²
- Languages
- Dari, Pashto, Turkmen
- Currency
- Afghan afghani (؋)
- People
- Afghan
- Borders
- Iran, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China
- Calling code
- +93
- Internet domain
- .af
Leadership
Who leads the state
Head of government
DisputedIn government: Taliban
Executive
Taliban caretaker (interim) cabinet under Hasan Akhund
0 of 29 verified on official pages
The Taliban took power on 15 August 2021 and announced a caretaker cabinet on 7 September 2021; ministers are appointed by decree of the Supreme Leader. Recognition: Russia is the only UN member state to have formally recognised the Islamic Emirate (2025). The United Nations has not recognised the Taliban or any other entity as Afghanistan's representative, and several states have accredited Taliban diplomats without recognition; the CIA list notes that the United States does not recognise the caretaker Taliban government. The status is therefore 'disputed': the record describes who exercises power, not who is recognised as the lawful government. Dates are the start of each minister’s current term in this government.
Digital government
Digital government, measured
UN E-Government Development Index[9]
2024
0.208rank 188 of 193
- Online services0.144
- Human capital0.264
- Telecom infrastructure0.217
Record of changes
Timeline
4 May 2026
By decree of Hibatullah Akhundzada, Communications Minister Hamdullah Nomani is removed and replaced by Abdul Ahad Fazli, until then Taliban governor of Faryab province.[8]
Sourced8 Jan 2026
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid announces that Hibatullah Akhundzada has swapped two ministers: Abdul Latif Mansoor moves from Energy and Water to Rural Rehabilitation and Development, and Mohammad Younus Akhundzada the other way.[7]
Sourced10 Jan 2025
Abdul Kabir becomes Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, a post vacant since 11 December 2024, when Khalil Haqqani's tenure ended.[6]
Sourced
Evidence
Sources
- [1]List of countries by system of government
WikipediaReferenceChecked 12 Oct 2026
- [2]Recognition of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
WikipediaReferenceChecked 16 Oct 2026
- [3]World countries in JSON (mledoze/countries)
Mohammed Le Doze and contributors (ODbL)ReferenceChecked 1 Nov 2026
- [4]List of current heads of state and government
WikipediaReferenceChecked 12 Oct 2026
- [5]Afghanistan: World Leaders (updated 3 September 2026)
Central Intelligence Agency (US)ReferenceChecked 16 Oct 2026
- [6]Akhund cabinet
WikipediaReferenceChecked 16 Oct 2026
- [7]Taliban Leader Reshuffles Two Cabinet Ministers
Afghanistan InternationalNewsChecked 16 Oct 2026
- [8]Taliban governor appointed as their new communications minister
Amu TVNewsChecked 16 Oct 2026
- [9]UN E-Government Survey 2024: country data
United Nations DESADatasetChecked 12 Oct 2026