🇦🇫 Afghanistan Population 2026

As of 2026, the population of Afghanistan is 45,047,068, ranking #36 in the world (0.54% of the global population), based on UN World Population Prospects 2024. The population is growing at 2.71% per year. The biggest city is Kabul with 4,434,550 inhabitants.

Live estimate

45,068,142

Growth rate

2.71%

Density

people / km² (180 / mi²)

Median age

17.4

Fertility rate

4.56

births per woman

Life expectancy

66.8

years

Afghanistan population 1950–2100

Population of Afghanistan, 1950–2100 — solid: UN estimates, dashed: UN medium-variant projection.

By 2050, the population of Afghanistan is projected to reach 76,885,134, and 130,216,739 by 2100.

Afghanistan population by year

Year	Population	Growth	Density /km²	Median age
2026	45,047,068	2.71%	69.4	17.4
2025	43,844,112	2.71%	67.5	17.3
2024	42,647,492	2.83%	65.7	17.1
2023	41,454,761	2.85%	63.8	16.9
2022	40,578,842	1.41%	62.5	16.8
2021	40,000,412	1.46%	61.6	16.6
2020	39,068,979	3.27%	60.2	16.4
2019	37,856,121	3.03%	58.3	16.2
2018	36,743,039	2.94%	56.6	16.1
2017	35,688,935	2.88%	55.0	15.9
2016	34,700,612	2.73%	53.4	15.7
2015	33,831,764	2.34%	52.1	15.5
2014	32,792,523	3.93%	50.5	15.3
2013	31,622,704	3.33%	48.7	15.1
2012	30,560,034	3.51%	47.1	14.9
2011	29,347,708	4.61%	45.2	14.8
2010	28,284,089	2.74%	43.6	14.6
2009	27,466,101	3.13%	42.3	14.4
2008	26,482,622	4.18%	40.8	14.3
2007	25,909,852	0.15%	39.9	14.2
2006	25,424,094	3.67%	39.2	14.1
2005	24,404,567	4.53%	37.6	14.0
2004	23,560,654	2.47%	36.3	13.9
2003	22,733,049	4.72%	35.0	13.9
2002	21,378,117	7.66%	32.9	13.9
2001	20,284,307	2.72%	31.2	13.9
2000	20,130,327	-1.21%	31.0	14.0
1999	19,887,785	3.66%	30.6	14.1
1998	19,159,996	3.80%	29.5	14.2
1997	18,452,091	3.73%	28.4	14.3
1996	17,763,266	3.88%	27.4	14.4
1995	17,065,836	4.14%	26.3	14.6
1994	16,250,794	5.69%	25.0	14.7
1993	14,943,172	11.33%	23.0	14.8
1992	13,278,974	12.35%	20.5	14.9
1991	12,238,879	3.62%	18.8	14.9
1990	12,045,660	-0.47%	18.6	15.0
1989	11,874,088	3.36%	18.3	15.1
1988	11,523,298	2.62%	17.7	15.1
1987	11,387,818	-0.27%	17.5	15.2
1986	11,420,074	-0.29%	17.6	15.2
1985	11,426,852	0.17%	17.6	15.3
1984	11,190,222	4.05%	17.2	15.4
1983	10,917,982	0.83%	16.8	15.5
1982	10,991,378	-2.16%	16.9	15.6
1981	11,937,581	-13.88%	18.4	15.7
1980	13,169,312	-6.14%	20.3	15.8
1979	13,655,567	-1.20%	21.0	15.9
1978	13,611,441	1.85%	21.0	16.0
1977	13,340,756	2.17%	20.5	16.1
1976	13,059,851	2.09%	20.1	16.3
1975	12,773,954	2.34%	19.7	16.4
1974	12,469,126	2.49%	19.2	16.5
1973	12,158,000	2.57%	18.7	16.6
1972	11,853,696	2.50%	18.3	16.7
1971	11,567,668	2.38%	17.8	16.8
1970	11,290,128	2.48%	17.4	17.0
1969	11,017,409	2.41%	17.0	17.1
1968	10,756,922	2.37%	16.6	17.3
1967	10,505,959	2.35%	16.2	17.4
1966	10,266,395	2.26%	15.8	17.5
1965	10,036,008	2.28%	15.5	17.5
1964	9,814,318	2.19%	15.1	17.6
1963	9,604,487	2.13%	14.8	17.6
1962	9,404,406	2.08%	14.5	17.7
1961	9,214,083	2.01%	14.2	17.8
1960	9,035,044	1.91%	13.9	17.9
1959	8,869,270	1.79%	13.7	17.9
1958	8,723,402	1.52%	13.4	18.0
1957	8,588,335	1.60%	13.2	18.1
1956	8,454,302	1.55%	13.0	18.1
1955	8,326,980	1.49%	12.8	18.2
1954	8,207,950	1.39%	12.6	18.2
1953	8,096,698	1.33%	12.5	18.3
1952	7,987,783	1.37%	12.3	18.3
1951	7,879,339	1.36%	12.1	18.4
1950	7,776,176	1.27%	12.0	18.4

Year	Population	Growth	Density /km²	Median age
2027	46,258,906	2.61%	71.2	17.6
2028	47,470,575	2.57%	73.1	17.8
2029	48,725,717	2.65%	75.0	18.0
2030	50,039,402	2.67%	77.1	18.2
2031	51,376,001	2.60%	79.1	18.4
2032	52,707,848	2.52%	81.2	18.6
2033	54,044,254	2.49%	83.2	18.8
2034	55,359,464	2.32%	85.3	19.1
2035	56,647,232	2.28%	87.2	19.3
2036	57,953,661	2.28%	89.3	19.5
2037	59,279,044	2.24%	91.3	19.7
2038	60,597,838	2.16%	93.3	20.0
2039	61,944,472	2.24%	95.4	20.2
2040	63,347,870	2.24%	97.6	20.5
2041	64,738,843	2.10%	99.7	20.7
2042	66,060,220	1.94%	101.7	21.0
2043	67,375,163	2.00%	103.8	21.2
2044	68,703,958	1.91%	105.8	21.5
2045	70,021,200	1.89%	107.8	21.7
2046	71,384,693	1.96%	109.9	22.0
2047	72,756,311	1.84%	112.1	22.2
2048	74,109,735	1.84%	114.1	22.5
2049	75,515,602	1.92%	116.3	22.8
2050	76,885,134	1.68%	118.4	23.0
2051	78,155,052	1.60%	120.4	23.3
2052	79,457,286	1.71%	122.4	23.5
2053	80,821,896	1.70%	124.5	23.8
2054	82,196,810	1.68%	126.6	24.1
2055	83,578,886	1.66%	128.7	24.3
2056	84,980,652	1.67%	130.9	24.6
2057	86,393,650	1.63%	133.1	24.8
2058	87,773,542	1.54%	135.2	25.1
2059	89,081,741	1.42%	137.2	25.4
2060	90,362,736	1.44%	139.2	25.6
2061	91,633,723	1.36%	141.1	25.9
2062	92,931,629	1.45%	143.1	26.1
2063	94,276,121	1.42%	145.2	26.4
2064	95,639,081	1.45%	147.3	26.6
2065	97,024,251	1.43%	149.4	26.9
2066	98,338,760	1.27%	151.5	27.1
2067	99,577,253	1.24%	153.4	27.4
2068	100,850,614	1.30%	155.3	27.6
2069	102,132,888	1.22%	157.3	27.8
2070	103,416,642	1.27%	159.3	28.1
2071	104,657,106	1.11%	161.2	28.3
2072	105,836,162	1.13%	163.0	28.6
2073	107,063,245	1.18%	164.9	28.8
2074	108,265,518	1.06%	166.7	29.0
2075	109,352,869	0.94%	168.4	29.3
2076	110,399,880	0.96%	170.0	29.5
2077	111,475,822	0.97%	171.7	29.8
2078	112,514,314	0.88%	173.3	30.0
2079	113,583,427	1.01%	174.9	30.2
2080	114,673,795	0.90%	176.6	30.4
2081	115,634,326	0.77%	178.1	30.7
2082	116,516,232	0.75%	179.5	30.9
2083	117,378,535	0.72%	180.8	31.2
2084	118,292,973	0.83%	182.2	31.4
2085	119,224,273	0.74%	183.6	31.6
2086	120,043,239	0.63%	184.9	31.8
2087	120,858,257	0.72%	186.1	32.1
2088	121,694,041	0.66%	187.4	32.3
2089	122,483,519	0.64%	188.6	32.5
2090	123,304,496	0.70%	189.9	32.7
2091	124,110,002	0.60%	191.1	32.9
2092	124,854,162	0.59%	192.3	33.2
2093	125,589,411	0.58%	193.4	33.4
2094	126,306,888	0.56%	194.5	33.6
2095	126,990,147	0.52%	195.6	33.8
2096	127,647,762	0.51%	196.6	34.0
2097	128,305,496	0.52%	197.6	34.2
2098	128,964,762	0.51%	198.6	34.4
2099	129,616,118	0.50%	199.6	34.6
2100	130,216,739	0.42%	200.6	34.8

States & provinces of Afghanistan by population

#	State / province	Population	Share
1	Kabul	5,385,526	12.0%
2	Hirat	3,780,000	8.4%
3	Nangarhar	1,735,531	3.9%
4	Hilmand	1,472,162	3.3%
5	Kandahar	1,431,876	3.2%
6	Ghazni	1,386,764	3.1%
7	Balkh	1,245,100	2.8%
8	Kunduz	1,136,677	2.5%
9	Faryab	1,129,528	2.5%
10	Takhar	1,113,173	2.5%
11	Badakhshan	1,072,785	2.4%
12	Baghlan	1,033,760	2.3%
13	Paktika	789,079	1.8%
14	Ghor	777,882	1.7%
15	Wardak	671,817	1.5%
16	Khost	647,730	1.4%
17	Sari Pul	632,182	1.4%
18	Paktya	622,831	1.4%
19	Jawzjan	613,481	1.4%
20	Farah	573,146	1.3%
21	Badghis	559,297	1.2%
22	Kunar	508,224	1.1%
23	Bamyan	504,312	1.1%
24	Kapisa	496,840	1.1%
25	Laghman	442,037	1.0%
26	Logar	442,037	1.0%
27	Samangan	438,235	1.0%
28	Uruzgan	436,079	1.0%
29	Zabul	391,150	0.9%
30	Nimroz	186,963	0.4%
31	Parwan	172,895	0.4%
32	Nuristan	166,676	0.4%

State populations: GeoNames (latest official figures, reference dates vary by country).

Biggest cities in Afghanistan

#	City	Region	Population
1	Kabul capital	Kabul	4,434,550
2	Herāt	Herat	574,300
3	Mazār-e Sharīf	Balkh	523,300
4	Kandahār	Kandahar	523,300
5	Jalālābād	Nangarhar	271,900
6	Kunduz	Kunduz	161,902
7	Ghazni	Ghazni	141,000
8	Balkh	Balkh	114,883
9	Baghlān	Baghlan	108,449
10	Gardez	Paktia	103,601
11	Khōst	Khowst	96,123
12	Maymana	Faryab	75,900
13	Khanabad	Kunduz	71,531
14	Bāzārak	Panjshir	65,000
15	Khulm	Balkh	64,933

FAQ

What is the population of Afghanistan in 2026?

The population of Afghanistan is 45,047,068 in 2026, according to UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant).

What is the biggest city in Afghanistan?

Kabul is the biggest city in Afghanistan with 4,434,550 inhabitants and it is also the capital.

Is the population of Afghanistan growing or shrinking?

The population of Afghanistan is growing at 2.71% per year.

Neighboring countries

Sources

Country data: United Nations World Population Prospects 2024, medium variant (CC BY 3.0 IGO). Retrieved 2026-07-06.
City and state data: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Retrieved 2026-07-06.

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