Afghan Americans
Afghan Americans (Dari: آمریکاییهای افغانتبار Amrikāyi-hāye Afghān tabar, Pashto: د امريکا افغانان Da Amrīka Afghanan) are Americans with ancestry from Afghanistan. They form the largest Afghan community in North America with the second being Afghan Canadians. Afghan Americans may originate from any of the ethnic groups of Afghanistan.
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 156,434 (2019) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| California (Especially Sacramento, and the East Bay) Virginia, New York, Texas (San Antonio as well as Austin, Fort Worth, Houston and Dallas) Washington, Arizona, Georgia, Missouri, Illinois | |
| Languages | |
| English, Pashto, Dari | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly: Sunni Islam Minority: Shia Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Christianity |
The Afghan community in the United States was minimal until large numbers were admitted as refugees following the December 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Others have arrived similarly during and after the latest war in Afghanistan. Afghan Americans reside and work all across the United States. The states of California, Virginia and New York historically had the largest number of Afghan Americans. Thousands may also be found in the states of Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Colorado, Washington, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Idaho, Missouri, North Carolina, and Illinois. As of 2022, their total number is approximately 155,000.