Sikhism in Afghanistan in the contemporary era is limited to small populations, primarily in major cities, with the largest numbers of Afghan Sikhs living in Jalalabad, Ghazni, Kabul, and to a lesser extent in Kandahar and Khost.

[10] Sikhs have been the most prevalent non-Muslim minority in Afghanistan, and despite the many political changes in recent Afghan history, governments and political groups have generally not indulged in openly discriminating against the Sikh minority; however, their status have been severely impacted amid the country's conflict since 1978.

[11] The origin of the Sikh community in Afghanistan has broadly two streams, including indigenous Pashto and Dari speakers, descendants of converts to the teaching of the Sikhism’s founder Guru Nanak during his trip to Kabul around 1520.

[12] Due to this mixed ancestry, Afghan Sikhs are from various ethnolinguistic backgrounds including Pashtun,[13][14] Hindkowan or Punjabi.

[30] Khost had a prevalent ethnically Pashtun Sikh community up until the 1970's, which later spread to states in India like New Delhi.

In September 2013, Afghan President Hamid Karzai signed a legislative decree, reserving a seat in the National Assembly of Afghanistan for the Hindu and Sikh minority.

[47] Following the deadly Jalalabad attack in June 2018, both Karzai and Ghani visited the Karte Parwan gurdwara to offer condolences.

[49] The country is witnessing a severe decline in the community's population with the coming of Taliban back in power.

[2][3][b][5][c][6][d][4] In the ensuing decades, widespread emigration was common amongst religious minorities due to increased persecution by Taliban forces; by the 1990s, the Afghan Sikh population declined below 50,000.

Many Sikh families have chosen to emigrate to other countries including, India, North America, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, Russia and other places.