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Afghanistan

Population

45,444,053

Estimated as of Oct 28, 2026View source
Population rank
36th
Share of world
0.54%
Annual change
+1,202,9582.74%

Population of Afghanistan

0100M200M300M400M202645.4M2050 projection76.9M↑ 69% from 202619601980200020202040206020802100

Source: United Nations — World Population Prospects (2024 Revision)

95% prediction interval

Current population estimate: 45,444,053. 2050 projection: 76,885,134.Use the arrow keys on the chart to inspect individual years.

Historical population estimates for Afghanistan. Annual change is shown as a percentage.
202645,047,0692.74%36
202543,844,1112.81%36
202039,068,9793.20%37
201937,856,1213.03%38
201836,743,0392.95%39
201735,688,9352.85%39
201533,831,7643.17%40
201028,284,0892.98%44
200524,404,5673.58%45
200020,130,3271.22%48

Showing 10 of 19 years.

Population by City

Kabul is home to 4,929,104 people, 10.94% of Afghanistan's population.

City population4M2M700K
Kabul 4.9MHerat 635.5KKandahar 571.4KMazar-e Sharif 538.7KJalalabad 302.9KKunduz 208.5KPul-e Khumri 137.1KSheberghan 104.5KMeymaneh 104.2KLashkargah 98.3K
Largest cities by 2026 population and share of the national population.
1Kabul4.9M10.94%
2Herat635.5K1.41%
3Kandahar571.4K1.27%
4Mazar-e Sharif538.7K1.20%
5Jalalabad302.9K0.67%
6Kunduz208.5K0.46%
7Pul-e Khumri137.1K0.30%
8Sheberghan104.5K0.23%
9Meymaneh104.2K0.23%
10Lashkargah98.3K0.22%

Afghanistan by the Numbers

Estimated as of Oct 28, 2026

Population
Afghanistan is home to an estimated 45,444,053 people, the 36th largest population in the world.
Daily change
Afghanistan has a net population change of approximately 3,336 people per day, driven by 4,164 births, 680 deaths, and net emigration of 148 people.
Share of world
Afghanistan makes up 0.54% of the world's population and 0.9% of Asia's.
Density
69.1 people per km² of land (178.9 per mi²), ranking 147th among countries and territories.
Urban living
25.94% of people live in urban areas.

Afghanistan Demographics

Age & longevity

MaleFemale100+ years, male: 7100+ years, female: 2395–99 years, male: 18795–99 years, female: 43490–94 years, male: 2,04790–94 years, female: 3,85785–89 years, male: 11,22685–89 years, female: 18,07680–84 years, male: 35,92280–84 years, female: 54,48775–79 years, male: 75,61175–79 years, female: 111,60770–74 years, male: 133,61770–74 years, female: 180,48365–69 years, male: 209,03565–69 years, female: 268,18460–64 years, male: 308,36960–64 years, female: 368,67855–59 years, male: 444,08755–59 years, female: 484,75150–54 years, male: 599,19450–54 years, female: 614,49445–49 years, male: 754,04145–49 years, female: 751,81940–44 years, male: 920,63240–44 years, female: 912,57735–39 years, male: 1,199,86335–39 years, female: 1,185,25230–34 years, male: 1,573,15130–34 years, female: 1,547,65525–29 years, male: 1,950,99525–29 years, female: 1,892,26020–24 years, male: 2,266,64220–24 years, female: 2,165,96415–19 years, male: 2,553,73515–19 years, female: 2,430,77810–14 years, male: 2,906,03910–14 years, female: 2,775,6345–9 years, male: 3,230,7585–9 years, female: 3,093,4370–4 years, male: 3,580,5030–4 years, female: 3,430,962100+95–9990–9485–8980–8475–7970–7465–6960–6455–5950–5445–4940–4435–3930–3425–2920–2415–1910–145–90–41M1M2M2M3M3M

Hover or tap an age group to see exact counts. Use the up and down arrow keys to inspect age groups.

Median age

18.4 yrs

World: 31

Life expectancy

66.8 yrs

World: 73.8

Male

50.52%

Female

49.48%

Life expectancy 65.2Life expectancy 68.3

Ethnicity

42%

Pashtun

  • Pashtun42%
  • Tajik27%
  • Hazara9%
  • Uzbek9%
  • Aimak4%
  • Other4%
  • Turkmen3%
  • Baloch2%
Data notes

Source estimate: 1979-1980 estimate

current statistical data on the sensitive subject of ethnicity are not available

Religion

99.7%

Muslim, the largest religion

  • Muslim99.7%
  • Other0.3%
Data notes

Source estimate: 2009 est.

Muslim: Sunni 84.7 - 89.7%, Shia 10 - 15%

Related Pages

Sources

  1. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - United Nations population estimates and projections.
  2. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - Afghanistan United Nations Graphs/Profiles
  3. World Bank / UN World Urbanization Prospects - 2025: Urban population (% of total population), using national definitions.
  4. The Guardian
  5. International Religious Freedom Report (2013)
  6. Central Statistics Organization