Afghanistan vs South Africa: Population young working old

Afghanistan
17.92 million
in 2023
South Africa
16.49 million
in 2023
Afghanistan rank
22nd
South Africa rank
24th

Population young working old over time

  • Afghanistan
  • South Africa
5.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M195019862023

How they compare

Afghanistan currently reports 17.92 million against 16.49 million in South Africa, a difference of 1.43 million.

That makes Afghanistan's figure about 1.1 times South Africa's.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 74 shared years of data; in 1950 it was South Africa ahead.

Afghanistan ranks 22nd and South Africa ranks 24th of 229 countries.

Across the 8 decades both report, Afghanistan averaged higher in 1 and South Africa in 7.

Head to head by decade

Decade Afghanistan South Africa Difference Ahead
1950s 3.43 million 5.95 million 2.51 million South Africa
1960s 4.25 million 7.96 million 3.70 million South Africa
1970s 5.65 million 10.63 million 4.98 million South Africa
1980s 5.43 million 13.56 million 8.14 million South Africa
1990s 7.86 million 16.37 million 8.51 million South Africa
2000s 11.84 million 15.63 million 3.79 million South Africa
2010s 15.37 million 15.91 million 542,740 South Africa
2020s 17.61 million 16.41 million 1.20 million Afghanistan

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher population young working old, Afghanistan or South Africa?
Afghanistan, at 17.92 million against 16.49 million in South Africa as of 2023.
What is the difference in population young working old between Afghanistan and South Africa?
1.43 million, with Afghanistan ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and South Africa?
74 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2023.
How do Afghanistan and South Africa rank globally for population young working old?
Afghanistan ranks 22nd and South Africa ranks 24th of 229 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Our World in Data, published as Population young working old. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Afghanistan vs South Africa: Population young working old. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 21 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/compare/population-young-working-old/afghanistan/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Population young working old
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed