Afghanistan vs World: Urban population growth
Urban population growth over time
- Afghanistan
- World
How they compare
Afghanistan currently reports 3.7% against 1.4% in World, a difference of 2.3%.
That makes Afghanistan's figure about 2.7 times World's.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 65 shared years of data; in 1961 it was Afghanistan ahead.
Afghanistan ranks 27th and World ranks 25th of 218 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Afghanistan averaged higher in 6 and World in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Afghanistan | World | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.4% | 2.6% | 2.8% | Afghanistan |
| 1970s | 5.7% | 2.7% | 3.0% | Afghanistan |
| 1980s | -0.3% | 2.6% | 3.0% | World |
| 1990s | 5.9% | 2.4% | 3.5% | Afghanistan |
| 2000s | 4.9% | 2.3% | 2.5% | Afghanistan |
| 2010s | 4.7% | 2.1% | 2.6% | Afghanistan |
| 2020s | 3.0% | 1.4% | 1.6% | Afghanistan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban population growth, Afghanistan or World?
- Afghanistan, at 3.7% against 1.4% in World as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban population growth between Afghanistan and World?
- 2.3%, with Afghanistan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and World?
- 65 years are reported by both, from 1961 to 2025.
- How do Afghanistan and World rank globally for urban population growth?
- Afghanistan ranks 27th and World ranks 25th of 218 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Urban population growth (annual %). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.