Afghanistan vs Iran: Population aged 14 years or younger (thousands)
Afghanistan
18,480 thousands
in 2025
Iran
20,466 thousands
in 2025
Afghanistan rank
22nd
Iran rank
20th
Population aged 14 years or younger (thousands) over time
- Afghanistan
- Iran
How they compare
Iran currently reports 20,466 thousands against 18,480 thousands in Afghanistan, a difference of 1,986 thousands.
That makes Iran's figure about 1.1 times Afghanistan's.
Across all 56 years both countries report, Iran has been ahead every year.
Afghanistan ranks 22nd and Iran ranks 20th of 233 countries.
Iran has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Afghanistan | Iran | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5,587 thousands | 14,367 thousands | 8,780 thousands | Iran |
| 1980s | 5,453 thousands | 20,715 thousands | 15,262 thousands | Iran |
| 1990s | 7,641 thousands | 25,733 thousands | 18,092 thousands | Iran |
| 2000s | 11,670 thousands | 19,747 thousands | 8,077 thousands | Iran |
| 2010s | 15,198 thousands | 19,253 thousands | 4,055 thousands | Iran |
| 2020s | 17,751 thousands | 20,731 thousands | 2,980 thousands | Iran |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher population aged 14 years or younger, Afghanistan or Iran?
- Iran, at 20,466 thousands against 18,480 thousands in Afghanistan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in population aged 14 years or younger between Afghanistan and Iran?
- 1,986 thousands, with Iran ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and Iran?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do Afghanistan and Iran rank globally for population aged 14 years or younger?
- Afghanistan ranks 22nd and Iran ranks 20th of 233 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Population aged 14 years or younger (thousands). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release