Afghanistan Demographics

Population of Afghanistan (2025)

View live population, charts & trends: Population of Afghanistan

Afghanistan Population
43,844,111
see live
Yearly Change
+2.81%
Global Share
0.53%
Global Rank
36

Median Age

The median age in Afghanistan is 17.3 years (2025).

Fertility in Afghanistan

A Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1 represents the Replacement-Level Fertility: the average number of children per woman needed for each generation to exactly replace itself without needing international immigration. A value below 2.1 will cause the native population to decline


Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
4.7
(Live Births per Woman, 2025)

Life Expectancy in Afghanistan

See also: Countries in the world ranked by Life Expectancy

Both Sexes
66.5
(life expectancy at birth, both sexes combined)
Females
68.1
(life expectancy at birth, females)
Males
64.9
(life expectancy at birth, males)


Infant Mortality Rate and Deaths of Children under 5 Years Old in Afghanistan


Infant Mortality
41.4
(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
Deaths under age 5
52.9
(per 1,000 live births)


Afghanistan Urban Population

Currently, 26.7% of the population of Afghanistan is urban (11,704,638 people in 2025)


Population Density

The 2025 population density in Afghanistan is 67 people per Km2 (174 people per mi2), calculated on a total land area of 652,860 Km2 (252,071 sq. miles).

Largest Cities in Afghanistan

# City Population
1 Kabul 4,434,550
2 Herat 574,300
3 Mazar-e Sharif 523,300
4 Kandahar 523,300
5 Jalalabad 271,900
6 Kunduz 161,902
7 Ghazni 141,000
8 Balkh 114,883
9 Baghlan 108,449
10 Gardez 103,601
11 Khost 96,123
12 Maymana 75,900
13 Khanabad 71,531
14 Bazarak 65,000
15 Bazar-e Yakawlang 65,000
16 Khulm 64,933
17 Taloqan 64,256
18 Bamyan 61,863
19 Pul-e Khumri 56,369
20 Shibirghan 55,641
21 Charikar 53,676
22 Sar-e Pul 52,121
23 Zaranj 49,851
24 Paghman 49,157
25 Asadabad 48,400
26 Aibak 47,823
27 Fayzabad 44,421
28 Lashkar Gah 43,934
29 Gereshk 43,588
30 Farah 43,561

See also

Sources

Definitions

Population Pyramid

A Population pyramid (also called "Age-Sex Pyramid") is a graphical representation of the age and sex of a population.

Types:

  • Expansive - pyramid with a wide base (larger percentage of people in younger age groups, indicating high birth rates and high fertility rates) and narrow top (high death rate and lower life expectancies). It suggests a growing population. Example: Nigeria Population Pyramid
  • Constrictive - pyramid with a narrow base (lower percentage of younger people, indicating declining birth rates with each succeeding age group getting smaller than the previous one). Example: United States
  • Stationary - with a somewhat equal proportion of the population in each age group. The population is stable, neither increasing nor decreasing.

Stages:

Population pyramid stages

Dependency Ratio

There are three types of age dependency ratio: Youth, Elderly, and Total. All three ratios are commonly multiplied by 100.

Youth Dependency Ratio

Definition: population ages 0-15 divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 0-15] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Elderly dependency ratio

Definition: population ages 65-plus divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 65-plus] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Total dependency ratio

Definition: sum of the youth and old-age ratios.

Formula: (([Population ages 0-15] + [Population ages 65-plus]) ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

NOTE: Dependency Ratio does not take into account labor force participation rates by age group. Some portion of the population counted as "working age" may actually be unemployed or not in the labor force whereas some portion of the "dependent" population may be employed and not necessarily economically dependent.