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Life in Afghanistan

Afghan officials estimate the urban population will double to about 13 million by 2015.

Most of the urban population is concentrated in Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-e-Sharif, Jalalabad and Kunduz, where returning refugees have increased pressure on devastated infrastructures.

Unemployment and the high cost of living are making city dwellers more vulnerable.

Rent prices in Kabul have rocketed and many families now spend up to half their income to share a place with others or live in bombed out buildings.

Reconstruction means labourers can earn more than teachers and civil servants.

Cost of living



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