Afghanistan Among Countries With Highest Transport-Corridor Investment Relative to GDP

DID Press: Afghanistan is among the countries where planned and ongoing investment in transport-corridor development represents the largest share of national economic output, according to the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB).

The EDB’s Eurasian Transport Network assessment says Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have the highest transport-corridor development costs relative to GDP, while the indicator is also high in Mongolia.

The bank’s assessment covers transport infrastructure projects across Eurasia and measures not only the nominal value of investment but also the scale of planned development in relation to each country’s economy. The figures underline the particularly significant economic weight of transport infrastructure projects in smaller and landlocked economies.

The EDB considers the expansion of transport corridors an important factor in strengthening regional trade, improving connectivity and increasing transit capacity across Central Asia and neighboring regions.

In its latest update, published in July 2026, the bank said its Eurasian Transport Network database contained 402 ongoing and planned projects worth a combined $345 billion across 13 countries as of July 1.

Central Asia accounts for a substantial portion of this investment. The EDB has estimated that more than $52 billion could be invested in transport-corridor development in Central Asia by 2035, with projects including major road and railway links intended to improve regional and international connectivity.

For Afghanistan, which is landlocked and positioned between Central and South Asia, improved transport infrastructure could strengthen its role as a transit and trade link between neighboring markets. However, the EDB figures represent the cost and investment requirements of transport-corridor development rather than money already spent by Afghanistan.