{"id":31051,"date":"2026-10-18T06:14:55","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T06:14:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/?p=31051"},"modified":"2026-10-18T06:15:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T06:15:21","slug":"savings-and-investment-what-are-youth-doing-for-their-financial-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/2026\/10\/savings-and-investment-what-are-youth-doing-for-their-financial-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Savings and investment; what are youth doing for their financial future?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Salam Watandar interviewed 29 employed youth aged 21 to 35, including 13 girls and 16 boys, across 12 provinces to assess their financial plans. Among the youth interviewed, 14, including 10 girls and four boys, had invested in small businesses or other economic activities, while the remaining 15, including three girls and 12 boys, had not made any investments.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Their investments ranged from 1,500 to 150,000 Afghanis and included buying sewing machines, buying and selling mobile phones and potatoes, selling products online, making resin crafts and candles, and starting small businesses.<\/p>\n

In terms of employment type, 15 of the youth, including 10 boys and five girls, worked as tailors, taxi drivers, money exchangers, and shopkeepers, while the other 14, including 13 girls and one boy, worked in media, schools, and clinics.<\/p>\n

Maryam Hossaini, a 23-year-old resident of Ghor, says she started her tailoring business two years ago with an investment of 15,000 Afghanis, and her business has grown since then.<\/p>\n

\u201cI first bought a new sewing machine. Thank God, it worked well, and the number of my customers has increased. The investment paid off because the new machine allowed me to take on more work and earn a better income,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Sayed Abdul Khaleq Azimi, a 29-year-old resident of Badghis, says he has invested part of his money in several businesses over the past year and a half.<\/p>\n

\u201cI invested in several businesses, and some of them have given good results. I own a mobile phone shop and a Wi-Fi service agency. So far, I have not suffered any losses because I carefully planned each business before starting it and followed my plans,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

The findings of the interviews show that 16 respondents, including nine girls and seven boys, save money regularly. Six youth, including two girls and four boys, save money irregularly, while the remaining seven, including two girls and five boys, do not save any money.<\/p>\n

Lina, a 30-year-old resident of Samangan, has been working as a teacher for three years. She says she earns around 5,000 Afghanis a month and regularly saves part of her income.<\/p>\n

\u201cI usually save between 500 and 1,000 Afghanis each month. Saving money has given me good results because I can cover my basic needs without borrowing money,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

Hayatullah, a 25-year-old resident of Ghor who owns a grocery shop, says he has regularly saved more than 2,000 Afghanis a month over the past three years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI earn around 10,000 Afghanis a month. If my expenses are not too high, I save between 2,000 and 3,000 Afghanis. Saving money has been good for me because I used my savings to buy a laptop, which has made my studies easier,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

The interviews also show that a number of youth are trying to improve their financial situation through savings and small investments, despite their limited incomes. However, others cannot save or invest because of low wages, debt, unstable income, and the high cost of living.<\/p>\n

Latif, a 26-year-old resident of Kabul who works for a media outlet, says he is not able to save money because of his low income.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy biggest challenges are my low salary and the lack of other sources of income. The money I earn is barely enough to cover my daily expenses, leaving nothing for savings or investment,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Sabrinaa Hamidi, a 22-year-old resident of Sar-e-Pol, also says she is unable to save or invest because of her low income.<\/p>\n

\u201cI earn around 3,000 Afghanis a month. Because my income is so low, I cannot save any money or make any specific investments,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

A number of economic experts say youth can save and invest by managing their expenses, avoiding unnecessary spending, and setting long-term financial goals.<\/p>\n

Mohammad Essa Mobarez, an economic expert, says a culture of saving should be promoted among youth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government should help people. Those who run businesses and earn good wages should save money. Youth should save because they will start families in the future. Having savings will help them make progress,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Ahmad Wali Sazesh, another economic expert, explains: \u201cMaintaining a balance requires continuous planning on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. We should spend less money and buy fewer expensive clothes. We should also avoid spending money on unnecessary parties. This view can help us identify our spending patterns and achieve our future goals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Ehsanullah Ehsan, spokesperson for the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Investment, says attracting domestic and foreign investment is one of the chamber\u2019s main goals. He added that the chamber had organized programs to encourage youth to invest.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring these programs, participants learned about opportunities for economic growth and investment in Afghanistan. The programs also encouraged them to start businesses and take advantage of available opportunities. They have helped create opportunities for new businesses and expand existing ones. They can also play an important role in the country\u2019s economic growth,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Youth\u2019s ability to save and invest depends not only on their personal decisions but also on the overall economic situation, job opportunities, and access to financial resources.<\/p>\n

The World Bank, in its latest report published in May 2026, says that despite economic growth, rapid population growth, weak investment, and structural challenges have negatively affected people\u2019s living levels. According to the report, Afghanistan\u2019s population grew by about 11 percent in 2025, while per capita income declined.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Salam Watandar interviewed 29 employed youth aged 21 to 35, including 13 girls and 16 boys, across 12 provinces to assess their financial plans. Among the youth interviewed, 14, including 10 girls and four boys, had invested in small businesses or other economic activities, while the remaining 15, including three girls and 12 boys, had not made any investments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":31053,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[990,9,179,186,981],"tags":[120,742,2300,2301],"class_list":["post-31051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest","category-soceity","category-economy-business","category-investigative-reports","category-economy","tag-youth","tag-investment","tag-savings","tag-financial-future"],"views":12,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31051"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31051\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31052,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31051\/revisions\/31052"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swn.af\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}