Total population in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Total population was 43,250 thousands in 2025. β² Rising
Total population in Afghanistan, 1970β2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
In 2025, total population in Afghanistan stood at 43,250 thousands. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is up 2.9% on the previous year and up 29.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total population in Afghanistan peaked at 43,250 thousands in 2025 and was at its lowest, 10,872 thousands, in 1983.
Afghanistan ranks 35th of 230 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 12,457 thousands | 11,150 thousands | 13,737 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 11,659 thousands | 10,872 thousands | 13,574 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 15,700 thousands | 12,018 thousands | 19,524 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 23,395 thousands | 20,009 thousands | 27,036 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 32,616 thousands | 27,896 thousands | 37,282 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 40,765 thousands | 38,430 thousands | 43,250 thousands | 6 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More population data for Afghanistan
- Population growth rate by level of development 0.424 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 9.03 million (2100)
- Population density 199.65 (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.424 (2100)
- Fertility and wanted fertility 4.76 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum 20,866 (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception 4.76 (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception 4.76 (2024)
- Natural population growth 2.96 (2023)
- Fertility rate with projections 4.84 (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total population in Afghanistan?
- Total population in Afghanistan was 43,250 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest total population recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 43,250 thousands in 2025.
- What is the lowest total population recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 10,872 thousands in 1983.
- How does Afghanistan rank for total population?
- Afghanistan ranks 35th out of 230 countries with data for 2025.
- Is total population rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Total population (thousands). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV Β· JSON β 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release