Population, total in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Population, total was 43.84 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
43.84 million
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
36th
of 218 countries
All-time high
43.84 million
in 2025
All-time low
9.04 million
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population, total in Afghanistan, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for population, total in Afghanistan is 43.84 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 29.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population, total in Afghanistan peaked at 43.84 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 9.04 million, in 1960.
Afghanistan ranks 36th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Population, total in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 9.04 million | — |
| 1961 | 9.21 million | +2.0% |
| 1962 | 9.40 million | +2.1% |
| 1963 | 9.60 million | +2.1% |
| 1964 | 9.81 million | +2.2% |
| 1965 | 10.04 million | +2.3% |
| 1966 | 10.27 million | +2.3% |
| 1967 | 10.51 million | +2.3% |
| 1968 | 10.76 million | +2.4% |
| 1969 | 11.02 million | +2.4% |
| 1970 | 11.29 million | +2.5% |
| 1971 | 11.57 million | +2.5% |
| 1972 | 11.85 million | +2.5% |
| 1973 | 12.16 million | +2.6% |
| 1974 | 12.47 million | +2.6% |
| 1975 | 12.77 million | +2.4% |
| 1976 | 13.06 million | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 13.34 million | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 13.61 million | +2.0% |
| 1979 | 13.66 million | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 13.17 million | -3.6% |
| 1981 | 11.94 million | -9.4% |
| 1982 | 10.99 million | -7.9% |
| 1983 | 10.92 million | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 11.19 million | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 11.43 million | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 11.42 million | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 11.39 million | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 11.52 million | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 11.87 million | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 12.05 million | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 12.24 million | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 13.28 million | +8.5% |
| 1993 | 14.94 million | +12.5% |
| 1994 | 16.25 million | +8.8% |
| 1995 | 17.07 million | +5.0% |
| 1996 | 17.76 million | +4.1% |
| 1997 | 18.45 million | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 19.16 million | +3.8% |
| 1999 | 19.89 million | +3.8% |
| 2000 | 20.13 million | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 20.28 million | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 21.38 million | +5.4% |
| 2003 | 22.73 million | +6.3% |
| 2004 | 23.56 million | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 24.40 million | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 25.42 million | +4.2% |
| 2007 | 25.91 million | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 26.48 million | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 27.47 million | +3.7% |
| 2010 | 28.28 million | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 29.35 million | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 30.56 million | +4.1% |
| 2013 | 31.62 million | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 32.79 million | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 33.83 million | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 34.70 million | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 35.69 million | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 36.74 million | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 37.86 million | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 39.07 million | +3.2% |
| 2021 | 40.00 million | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 40.58 million | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 41.45 million | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 42.65 million | +2.9% |
| 2025 | 43.84 million | +2.8% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 43.84 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 24.07 million, 1.8× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 43.84 million is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 11.52 million, 3.8× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 9.97 million | 9.04 million | 11.02 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 12.58 million | 11.29 million | 13.66 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.58 million | 10.92 million | 13.17 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.11 million | 12.05 million | 19.89 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.78 million | 20.13 million | 27.47 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.14 million | 28.28 million | 37.86 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.27 million | 39.07 million | 43.84 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More climate change data for Afghanistan
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 79.22 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 23,854 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 5,965 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 17,889 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 22.51 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 638.89 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 2,345 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 1,090 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,255 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 4.11 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population, total in Afghanistan?
- Population, total in Afghanistan was 43.84 million in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population, total recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 43.84 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population, total recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.04 million in 1960.
- How does Afghanistan rank for population, total?
- Afghanistan ranks 36th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population, total rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.