Afghanistan population
Afghanistan: 43.8 million people in 2025 (43,844,111), 36th of 217 countries and areas — and 76.9 million projected for 2050.
Compare Afghanistan with another country
Where it stands
In 2025 Afghanistan has 43,844,111 people, which is 0.54% of the 8.19 billion counted across the 217 countries and areas on this site. That puts it 36th by population, behind Argentina and ahead of Yemen.
Since 1960
In 1960 the figure was 9,035,043. Since then the population has grown 4.85×, an average of 2.46% a year upward. It doubled at some point along the way — the year it first reached 18,070,086 was 1997.
The projection keeps rising to the end of the data: 76,885,135 in 2050, 75.4% above 2025. The highest figure on this page is that last one, so no peak has been reached yet.
The ranking in 2050
In 2050 the projected rank is 25th, up 11 places from 36th. Rankings move when other countries grow faster or slower, not only when Afghanistan changes.
People and land
Afghanistan covers 652,230 km² of land, so 2025 density is 67 people per km² — 140th most crowded of 216 places with an area figure. At that density a square 10 km on a side holds about 6,722 people.
The fertility rate was 4.76 births per woman in 2024, well above replacement level; life expectancy at birth was 66.3 years (2024); 42.6% of people were under 15 and 2.4% were 65 or older (2025); 26% of the population lived in cities. These shape the curve above: a young population keeps growing after fertility falls, an old one starts shrinking sooner.
Its nearest neighbours in the ranking are Argentina just above, with 45.9 million (1.05× as many), and Yemen just below, with 41.8 million (1.05× as many as Yemen has).
How the numbers are taken. Total population from the World Bank's population estimates and projections (built from United Nations and national statistics). Values to 2025 are estimates; 2026–2050 are projections that continue current fertility, mortality and migration trends. Sources and limits.