Afghanistan vs Iraq: Total population
Afghanistan
43,250 thousands
in 2025
Iraq
46,526 thousands
in 2025
Afghanistan rank
35th
Iraq rank
33rd
Total population over time
- Afghanistan
- Iraq
How they compare
Iraq currently reports 46,526 thousands against 43,250 thousands in Afghanistan, a difference of 3,276 thousands.
That makes Iraq's figure about 1.1 times Afghanistan's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 56 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Afghanistan ahead.
Afghanistan ranks 35th and Iraq ranks 33rd of 230 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Afghanistan averaged higher in 1 and Iraq in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Afghanistan | Iraq | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 12,457 thousands | 11,203 thousands | 1,254 thousands | Afghanistan |
| 1980s | 11,659 thousands | 15,258 thousands | 3,600 thousands | Iraq |
| 1990s | 15,700 thousands | 20,082 thousands | 4,382 thousands | Iraq |
| 2000s | 23,395 thousands | 27,119 thousands | 3,724 thousands | Iraq |
| 2010s | 32,616 thousands | 35,997 thousands | 3,381 thousands | Iraq |
| 2020s | 40,765 thousands | 44,076 thousands | 3,311 thousands | Iraq |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher total population, Afghanistan or Iraq?
- Iraq, at 46,526 thousands against 43,250 thousands in Afghanistan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in total population between Afghanistan and Iraq?
- 3,276 thousands, with Iraq ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and Iraq?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do Afghanistan and Iraq rank globally for total population?
- Afghanistan ranks 35th and Iraq ranks 33rd of 230 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as Total population (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