Urban population in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Urban population was 11.37 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Afghanistan, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, urban population in Afghanistan stood at 11.37 million. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.8% on the previous year and up 37.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Afghanistan peaked at 11.37 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 733,876, in 1960.
That places Afghanistan 59th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 733,876 | — |
| 1961 | 773,024 | +5.3% |
| 1962 | 814,672 | +5.4% |
| 1963 | 858,901 | +5.4% |
| 1964 | 905,973 | +5.5% |
| 1965 | 956,366 | +5.6% |
| 1966 | 1.01 million | +5.6% |
| 1967 | 1.07 million | +5.7% |
| 1968 | 1.13 million | +5.8% |
| 1969 | 1.20 million | +5.9% |
| 1970 | 1.27 million | +6.1% |
| 1971 | 1.35 million | +6.4% |
| 1972 | 1.44 million | +6.8% |
| 1973 | 1.54 million | +7.0% |
| 1974 | 1.65 million | +6.9% |
| 1975 | 1.76 million | +6.6% |
| 1976 | 1.86 million | +6.0% |
| 1977 | 1.97 million | +5.4% |
| 1978 | 2.06 million | +4.7% |
| 1979 | 2.11 million | +2.3% |
| 1980 | 2.07 million | -2.0% |
| 1981 | 1.90 million | -8.1% |
| 1982 | 1.77 million | -6.7% |
| 1983 | 1.78 million | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 1.84 million | +3.6% |
| 1985 | 1.90 million | +3.1% |
| 1986 | 1.91 million | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 1.92 million | +0.5% |
| 1988 | 1.96 million | +1.9% |
| 1989 | 2.04 million | +3.8% |
| 1990 | 2.08 million | +2.1% |
| 1991 | 2.13 million | +2.3% |
| 1992 | 2.32 million | +9.2% |
| 1993 | 2.63 million | +13.3% |
| 1994 | 2.88 million | +9.5% |
| 1995 | 3.04 million | +5.7% |
| 1996 | 3.19 million | +4.8% |
| 1997 | 3.34 million | +4.6% |
| 1998 | 3.49 million | +4.7% |
| 1999 | 3.66 million | +4.7% |
| 2000 | 3.74 million | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 3.80 million | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 4.05 million | +6.5% |
| 2003 | 4.36 million | +7.6% |
| 2004 | 4.57 million | +4.9% |
| 2005 | 4.81 million | +5.2% |
| 2006 | 5.11 million | +6.3% |
| 2007 | 5.34 million | +4.3% |
| 2008 | 5.59 million | +4.9% |
| 2009 | 5.96 million | +6.5% |
| 2010 | 6.30 million | +5.7% |
| 2011 | 6.70 million | +6.4% |
| 2012 | 7.13 million | +6.5% |
| 2013 | 7.53 million | +5.5% |
| 2014 | 7.93 million | +5.4% |
| 2015 | 8.28 million | +4.3% |
| 2016 | 8.56 million | +3.4% |
| 2017 | 8.86 million | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 9.19 million | +3.6% |
| 2019 | 9.52 million | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 9.87 million | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 10.14 million | +2.7% |
| 2022 | 10.30 million | +1.6% |
| 2023 | 10.56 million | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 10.96 million | +3.8% |
| 2025 | 11.37 million | +3.8% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 11.37 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 6.96 million, 1.6× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 11.37 million is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 9.90 million, 1.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 944,467 | 733,876 | 1.20 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.70 million | 1.27 million | 2.11 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.91 million | 1.77 million | 2.07 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.88 million | 2.08 million | 3.66 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.73 million | 3.74 million | 5.96 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.00 million | 6.30 million | 9.52 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.53 million | 9.87 million | 11.37 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 56 Mozambique 13.26 million compare
- 57 Kazakhstan 13.00 million compare
- 58 Ecuador 11.59 million compare
- 60 Somalia 10.84 million compare
- 61 Madagascar 10.77 million compare
- 62 Jordan 10.74 million compare
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 urban population in Afghanistan?
- Urban population in Afghanistan was 11.37 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 11.37 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 733,876 in 1960.
- How does Afghanistan rank for urban population?
- Afghanistan ranks 59th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population. 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
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.