How much did the Afghanistan war cost the US?

Official estimates show the war cost $1trn but unoffiical figures suggest the real figure was more than double that.

A US military helicopter is pictured flying above the US embassy in Kabul on August 15, 2021. (Photo By WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Twenty years since America invaded Afghanistan, official government data shows the war has cost the US around $1trn. Between the fiscal years of 2002 and 2020, official counts of total military expenditure in Afghanistan by the US Department of Defense totalled $824bn, while spending on reconstruction by various agencies including the state department came to $131bn.

Unofficial estimates, however, suggest the bill is much higher. The Costs of War project by researchers at Brown University in Rhode Island estimates that between 2001 and 2021 the war cost the US $2.26trn. Their estimate includes the bill for operations in Pakistan, war debt and support supplied to veterans, which are excluded from official tallies.