Afghanistan vs South Africa: Number of children under 15, by world region
Afghanistan
17.92 million people
in 2023
South Africa
16.49 million people
in 2023
Afghanistan rank
22nd
South Africa rank
24th
Number of children under 15, by world region over time
- Afghanistan
- South Africa
How they compare
Afghanistan currently reports 17.92 million people against 16.49 million people in South Africa, a difference of 1.43 million people.
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 236 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 people | 5.95 million people | 2.51 million people | South Africa |
| 1960s | 4.25 million people | 7.96 million people | 3.70 million people | South Africa |
| 1970s | 5.65 million people | 10.63 million people | 4.98 million people | South Africa |
| 1980s | 5.43 million people | 13.56 million people | 8.14 million people | South Africa |
| 1990s | 7.86 million people | 16.37 million people | 8.51 million people | South Africa |
| 2000s | 11.84 million people | 15.63 million people | 3.79 million people | South Africa |
| 2010s | 15.37 million people | 15.91 million people | 542,740 people | South Africa |
| 2020s | 17.61 million people | 16.41 million people | 1.20 million people | Afghanistan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of children under 15, by world region, Afghanistan or South Africa?
- Afghanistan, at 17.92 million people against 16.49 million people in South Africa as of 2023.
- What is the difference in number of children under 15, by world region between Afghanistan and South Africa?
- 1.43 million people, 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 number of children under 15, by world region?
- Afghanistan ranks 22nd and South Africa ranks 24th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Number of children under 15, by world region. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-14.