Share urban and rural population in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Share urban and rural population was 25.94 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
25.94
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
220th
of 236 countries
All-time high
25.94
in 2025
All-time low
5.78
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Share urban and rural population in Afghanistan, 1950–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, share urban and rural population in Afghanistan stood at 25.94. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and up 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share urban and rural population in Afghanistan peaked at 25.94 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 5.78, in 1950.
That places Afghanistan 220th out of 236 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.
Share urban and rural population in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 5.78 | — |
| 1951 | 5.94 | +2.8% |
| 1952 | 6.13 | +3.1% |
| 1953 | 6.34 | +3.4% |
| 1954 | 6.57 | +3.6% |
| 1955 | 6.81 | +3.7% |
| 1956 | 7.06 | +3.7% |
| 1957 | 7.33 | +3.7% |
| 1958 | 7.59 | +3.6% |
| 1959 | 7.86 | +3.5% |
| 1960 | 8.12 | +3.4% |
| 1961 | 8.39 | +3.3% |
| 1962 | 8.66 | +3.3% |
| 1963 | 8.94 | +3.2% |
| 1964 | 9.23 | +3.2% |
| 1965 | 9.53 | +3.2% |
| 1966 | 9.84 | +3.2% |
| 1967 | 10.16 | +3.3% |
| 1968 | 10.5 | +3.3% |
| 1969 | 10.85 | +3.3% |
| 1970 | 11.23 | +3.5% |
| 1971 | 11.67 | +3.9% |
| 1972 | 12.16 | +4.3% |
| 1973 | 12.69 | +4.4% |
| 1974 | 13.23 | +4.3% |
| 1975 | 13.77 | +4.0% |
| 1976 | 14.28 | +3.7% |
| 1977 | 14.74 | +3.2% |
| 1978 | 15.13 | +2.7% |
| 1979 | 15.44 | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 15.68 | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 15.9 | +1.4% |
| 1982 | 16.11 | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 16.29 | +1.2% |
| 1984 | 16.46 | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 16.62 | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 16.77 | +0.9% |
| 1987 | 16.9 | +0.8% |
| 1988 | 17.03 | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 17.15 | +0.7% |
| 1990 | 17.26 | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 17.38 | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 17.49 | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 17.6 | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 17.72 | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 17.83 | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 17.96 | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 18.09 | +0.7% |
| 1998 | 18.24 | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 18.39 | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 18.56 | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 18.74 | +1.0% |
| 2002 | 18.94 | +1.1% |
| 2003 | 19.16 | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 19.4 | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 19.71 | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 20.11 | +2.1% |
| 2007 | 20.59 | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 21.12 | +2.6% |
| 2009 | 21.69 | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 22.26 | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 22.82 | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 23.34 | +2.3% |
| 2013 | 23.81 | +2.0% |
| 2014 | 24.19 | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 24.46 | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 24.66 | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 24.84 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 25 | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 25.14 | +0.6% |
| 2020 | 25.26 | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 25.35 | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 25.39 | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 25.47 | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 25.7 | +0.9% |
| 2025 | 25.94 | +0.9% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 25.94 is below the median for low income countries, which is 34.54, 75% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 25.94 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 79.48, 33% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.74 | 5.78 | 7.86 | 10 |
| 1960s | 9.42 | 8.12 | 10.85 | 10 |
| 1970s | 13.43 | 11.23 | 15.44 | 10 |
| 1980s | 16.49 | 15.68 | 17.15 | 10 |
| 1990s | 17.8 | 17.26 | 18.39 | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.8 | 18.56 | 21.69 | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.05 | 22.26 | 25.14 | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.52 | 25.26 | 25.94 | 6 |
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)
- Population growth rate 0.424 (2100)
- Population density 199.65 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 9.03 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share urban and rural population in Afghanistan?
- Share urban and rural population in Afghanistan was 25.94 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share urban and rural population recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 25.94 in 2025.
- What is the lowest share urban and rural population recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.78 in 1950.
- How does Afghanistan rank for share urban and rural population?
- Afghanistan ranks 220th out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share urban and rural population rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share urban and rural population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 76 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).