Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas was 6.09 million people in 2020. ▲ Rising
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Afghanistan, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Afghanistan is 6.09 million people, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of down 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Afghanistan peaked at 6.12 million people in 2015 and was at its lowest, 3.85 million people, in 1950.
Afghanistan ranks 53rd of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.85 million people | — |
| 1955 | 3.98 million people | +3.4% |
| 1960 | 4.14 million people | +3.9% |
| 1965 | 4.33 million people | +4.8% |
| 1970 | 4.55 million people | +5.0% |
| 1975 | 4.77 million people | +4.7% |
| 1980 | 4.87 million people | +2.2% |
| 1985 | 4.54 million people | -6.9% |
| 1990 | 4.57 million people | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 5.47 million people | +19.6% |
| 2000 | 5.65 million people | +3.3% |
| 2005 | 5.95 million people | +5.4% |
| 2010 | 6.11 million people | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 6.12 million people | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 6.09 million people | -0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.91 million people | 3.85 million people | 3.98 million people | 2 |
| 1960s | 4.24 million people | 4.14 million people | 4.33 million people | 2 |
| 1970s | 4.66 million people | 4.55 million people | 4.77 million people | 2 |
| 1980s | 4.70 million people | 4.54 million people | 4.87 million people | 2 |
| 1990s | 5.02 million people | 4.57 million people | 5.47 million people | 2 |
| 2000s | 5.80 million people | 5.65 million people | 5.95 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 6.12 million people | 6.11 million people | 6.12 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 6.09 million people | 6.09 million people | 6.09 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More population data for Afghanistan
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.4637 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 0.2412 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.4637 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.2115 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 74,075 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.39 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.2522 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.4% (2100)
- Population density 199.65 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 9.03 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Afghanistan?
- Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas in Afghanistan was 6.09 million people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 6.12 million people in 2015.
- What is the lowest number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.85 million people in 1950.
- How does Afghanistan rank for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Afghanistan ranks 53rd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated number of people living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.