Has the population peaked? in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Has the population peaked? was 41.45 million people in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
41.45 million people
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
36th
of 236 countries
All-time high
41.45 million people
in 2023
All-time low
7.78 million people
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Has the population peaked? in Afghanistan, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for has the population peaked? in Afghanistan is 41.45 million people, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.2% on the previous year and up 31.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, has the population peaked? in Afghanistan peaked at 41.45 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 7.78 million people, in 1950.
That places Afghanistan 36th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Has the population peaked? in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 7.78 million people | — |
| 1951 | 7.88 million people | +1.3% |
| 1952 | 7.99 million people | +1.4% |
| 1953 | 8.10 million people | +1.4% |
| 1954 | 8.21 million people | +1.4% |
| 1955 | 8.33 million people | +1.5% |
| 1956 | 8.45 million people | +1.5% |
| 1957 | 8.59 million people | +1.6% |
| 1958 | 8.72 million people | +1.6% |
| 1959 | 8.87 million people | +1.7% |
| 1960 | 9.04 million people | +1.9% |
| 1961 | 9.21 million people | +2.0% |
| 1962 | 9.40 million people | +2.1% |
| 1963 | 9.60 million people | +2.1% |
| 1964 | 9.81 million people | +2.2% |
| 1965 | 10.04 million people | +2.3% |
| 1966 | 10.27 million people | +2.3% |
| 1967 | 10.51 million people | +2.3% |
| 1968 | 10.76 million people | +2.4% |
| 1969 | 11.02 million people | +2.4% |
| 1970 | 11.29 million people | +2.5% |
| 1971 | 11.57 million people | +2.5% |
| 1972 | 11.85 million people | +2.5% |
| 1973 | 12.16 million people | +2.6% |
| 1974 | 12.47 million people | +2.6% |
| 1975 | 12.77 million people | +2.4% |
| 1976 | 13.06 million people | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 13.34 million people | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 13.61 million people | +2.0% |
| 1979 | 13.66 million people | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 13.17 million people | -3.6% |
| 1981 | 11.94 million people | -9.4% |
| 1982 | 10.99 million people | -7.9% |
| 1983 | 10.92 million people | -0.7% |
| 1984 | 11.19 million people | +2.5% |
| 1985 | 11.43 million people | +2.1% |
| 1986 | 11.42 million people | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 11.39 million people | -0.3% |
| 1988 | 11.52 million people | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 11.87 million people | +3.0% |
| 1990 | 12.05 million people | +1.4% |
| 1991 | 12.24 million people | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 13.28 million people | +8.5% |
| 1993 | 14.94 million people | +12.5% |
| 1994 | 16.25 million people | +8.8% |
| 1995 | 17.07 million people | +5.0% |
| 1996 | 17.76 million people | +4.1% |
| 1997 | 18.45 million people | +3.9% |
| 1998 | 19.16 million people | +3.8% |
| 1999 | 19.89 million people | +3.8% |
| 2000 | 20.13 million people | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 20.28 million people | +0.8% |
| 2002 | 21.38 million people | +5.4% |
| 2003 | 22.73 million people | +6.3% |
| 2004 | 23.56 million people | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 24.40 million people | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 25.42 million people | +4.2% |
| 2007 | 25.91 million people | +1.9% |
| 2008 | 26.48 million people | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 27.47 million people | +3.7% |
| 2010 | 28.28 million people | +3.0% |
| 2011 | 29.35 million people | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 30.56 million people | +4.1% |
| 2013 | 31.62 million people | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 32.79 million people | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 33.83 million people | +3.2% |
| 2016 | 34.70 million people | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 35.69 million people | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 36.74 million people | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 37.86 million people | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 39.07 million people | +3.2% |
| 2021 | 40.00 million people | +2.4% |
| 2022 | 40.58 million people | +1.4% |
| 2023 | 41.45 million people | +2.2% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 41.45 million people is above the median for low income countries, which is 23.03 million people, 1.8× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 41.45 million people is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 11.44 million people, 3.6× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 8.29 million people | 7.78 million people | 8.87 million people | 10 |
| 1960s | 9.97 million people | 9.04 million people | 11.02 million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 12.58 million people | 11.29 million people | 13.66 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.58 million people | 10.92 million people | 13.17 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.11 million people | 12.05 million people | 19.89 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 23.78 million people | 20.13 million people | 27.47 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.14 million people | 28.28 million people | 37.86 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 40.28 million people | 39.07 million people | 41.45 million people | 4 |
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 has the population peaked? in Afghanistan?
- Has the population peaked? in Afghanistan was 41.45 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest has the population peaked? recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 41.45 million people in 2023.
- What is the lowest has the population peaked? recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.78 million people in 1950.
- How does Afghanistan rank for has the population peaked??
- Afghanistan ranks 36th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is has the population peaked? rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Has the population peaked?. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown.