Afghanistan vs Iraq: Share of children, working-age adults, and older people
Afghanistan
17.92 million people
in 2023
Iraq
16.72 million people
in 2023
Afghanistan rank
22nd
Iraq rank
23rd
Share of children, working-age adults, and older people over time
- Afghanistan
- Iraq
How they compare
Afghanistan currently reports 17.92 million people against 16.72 million people in Iraq, a difference of 1.20 million people.
That makes Afghanistan's figure about 1.1 times Iraq's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 74 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Afghanistan ahead.
Afghanistan ranks 22nd and Iraq ranks 23rd of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Afghanistan averaged higher in 6 and Iraq in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Afghanistan | Iraq | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.43 million people | 2.48 million people | 948,536 people | Afghanistan |
| 1960s | 4.25 million people | 3.39 million people | 865,484 people | Afghanistan |
| 1970s | 5.65 million people | 5.25 million people | 407,749 people | Afghanistan |
| 1980s | 5.43 million people | 7.14 million people | 1.71 million people | Iraq |
| 1990s | 7.86 million people | 9.07 million people | 1.21 million people | Iraq |
| 2000s | 11.84 million people | 11.70 million people | 141,240 people | Afghanistan |
| 2010s | 15.37 million people | 14.71 million people | 659,790 people | Afghanistan |
| 2020s | 17.61 million people | 16.47 million people | 1.14 million people | Afghanistan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of children, working-age adults, and older people, Afghanistan or Iraq?
- Afghanistan, at 17.92 million people against 16.72 million people in Iraq as of 2023.
- What is the difference in share of children, working-age adults, and older people between Afghanistan and Iraq?
- 1.20 million people, with Afghanistan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and Iraq?
- 74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
- How do Afghanistan and Iraq rank globally for share of children, working-age adults, and older people?
- Afghanistan ranks 22nd and Iraq ranks 23rd of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Share of children, working-age adults, and older people. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-14.