The total population in Afghanistan was estimated at 35.7 million people in 2024, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides - Afghanistan Population - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

From 1800 until the late twentieth century, there was a steady increase in Afghanistan's population. Throughout the nineteenth century, Afghanistan became a battleground for the British Empire, who tried to control the area in order to prevent Russian expansion towards the British Raj. Despite resisting the British invasion in the first Anglo-Afghan War, (where the British Army was almost completely wiped out), the Second Anglo-Afghan War in 1880 saw Britain seize control of the region. In contrast to the neighboring colonies on the Indian subcontinent, Britain did not colonize Afghanistan for economic purposes, therefore they did not invest in agriculture or infrastructure, nor introduce medicine in the same way they did in the Raj, and focused only on Afghanistan's international affairs. Independence and progress The Third Anglo-Afghan War, where Afghan forces invaded British India in 1919, resulted in Afghanistan's independence finally being declared after two months of conflict. The next decade saw some major reforms that attempted to modernize Afghan society, (notable progress was made for women's rights and education) however this alienated many conservative and religious tribes, and a civil war broke out in 1928. After the war (and brief usurpation) the new King of Afghanistan, Nadir Khan, consolidated power, and also moved to modernize the country, but more gradually than his predecessors in order to avoid further alienation and conflict. Khan's approach remained in place until the 1970s, when a bloodless coup established a republic. The republic never achieved political stability, and the Sauri Revolution of 1978 resulted in the formation of the communist Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. Continuous war Despite some progressive reforms, such as banning forced marriages and opening a space for women in politics, the determination to promote state atheism combined with the country's economic dependence on the Soviet Union led to serious opposition from Afghan people, particularly in rural areas. On December 24, 1979, the Soviet Union (backed by the Afghan government) invaded the country, and the ensuing decade-long guerilla war resulted in as many as two million fatalities and three million wounded, as well as two million internally displaced persons and five million refugees abroad. Soviet withdrawal was seen as a western victory, as they had supported the Taliban in their fight against the Soviets, however a decade later the Taliban refused to hand over Osama Bin Laden and other al-Qaeda suspects to the US, following the 9/11 attacks in 2001. This led to US and British forces launching Operation Enduring Freedom in October 2001, and an intensive bombing campaign followed, destroying many major cities in the country. The Taliban government was toppled in December 2001, and in 2002 a western-led rebuilding of the country began. Over the past two decades, many displaced Afghans have returned home, leading to some economic growth, however guerilla fighting continues and there is a strong military presence in the country (including many Taliban controlled areas). In 2020, Afghanistan remains one of the poorest and most politically unstable countries in the world, however the rapid population growth experienced in recent decades is expected to continue well into the future, as improvements in medical care and humanitarian aid become more widespread across the country.

The current population of Afghanistan is 41,422,675 as of Tuesday, May 9, 2023, based on Worldometer elaboration of the latest United Nations data. Afghanistan 2020 population is estimated at 38,928,346 people at mid year according to UN data. Afghanistan population is equivalent to 0.5% of the total world population. Afghanistan ranks number 37 in the list of countries (and dependencies) by population. The population density in Afghanistan is 60 per Km2 (154 people per mi2). The total land area is 652,860 Km2 (252,071 sq. miles) 25.4 % of the population is urban (9,904,337 people in 2020) The median age in Afghanistan is 18.4 years.

As of 2020, ** percent of the Afghan population consists of Pashtuns. This was followed by ** percent of Tajiks and **** percent Hazara. the Total population of Afghanistan is currently around ** million.

This timeline shows the total population of Afghanistan from 2010 to 2023. In 2023, Afghanistan's total population amounted to an estimated 42.17 million inhabitants. Population of Afghanistan Afghanistan is a country constantly plagued by war and terrorism. A direct result of war in Afghanistan is a low life expectancy. Even though the life expectancy at birth from 2001 to 2012 has increased, the number still remains relatively low in comparison to other countries in the world. Another direct cause for this low life expectancy is probably terrorism. The number of deaths in Afghanistan due to terrorism between has increased dramatically until 2013. Additionally, insurgents were to blame for the majority of the civilian deaths in Afghanistan in 2010. War, the increase in civilian deaths in Afghanistan as well as a drop in the fertility rate in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2012 have resulted in a steep drop in population growth when compared to the previous year. However, despite of the slower population growth in recent years, the total population in Afghanistan in the past decade has increased by about 9 million inhabitants.

WorldPop produces different types of gridded population count datasets, depending on the methods used and end application. Please make sure you have read our Mapping Populations overview page before choosing and downloading a dataset.

Datasets are available to download in Geotiff and ASCII XYZ format at a resolution of 30 arc-seconds (approximately 1km at the equator)

-Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020: Population density datasets for all countries of the World for each year 2000-2020 – derived from the corresponding Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 population count datasets by dividing the number of people in each pixel by the pixel surface area. These are produced using the unconstrained top-down modelling method.
-Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 UN adjusted: Population density datasets for all countries of the World for each year 2000-2020 – derived from the corresponding Unconstrained individual countries 2000-2020 population UN adjusted count datasets by dividing the number of people in each pixel, adjusted to match the country total from the official United Nations population estimates (UN 2019), by the pixel surface area. These are produced using the unconstrained top-down modelling method.

Data for earlier dates is available directly from WorldPop.

WorldPop (www.worldpop.org - School of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Southampton; Department of Geography and Geosciences, University of Louisville; Departement de Geographie, Universite de Namur) and Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN), Columbia University (2018). Global High Resolution Population Denominators Project - Funded by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1134076). https://dx.doi.org/10.5258/SOTON/WP00674

Afghanistan Population: Growth data was reported at 2.666 % in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 2.534 % for 2022. Afghanistan Population: Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 2.524 % from Dec 1961 (Median) to 2023, with 63 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 14.964 % in 1993 and a record low of -11.275 % in 1981. Afghanistan Population: Growth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Afghanistan – Table AF.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage . Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.;Derived from total population. Population source: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2022 Revision; (2) Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices; (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics; (4) United Nations Statistics Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years).;Weighted average;

Population density per pixel at 100 metre resolution. WorldPop provides estimates of numbers of people residing in each 100x100m grid cell for every low and middle income country. Through ingegrating cencus, survey, satellite and GIS datasets in a flexible machine-learning framework, high resolution maps of population counts and densities for 2000-2020 are produced, along with accompanying metadata. DATASET: Alpha version 2010 and 2015 estimates of numbers of people per grid square, with national totals adjusted to match UN population division estimates (http://esa.un.org/wpp/) and remaining unadjusted. REGION: Central Asia SPATIAL RESOLUTION: 0.000833333 decimal degrees (approx 100m at the equator) PROJECTION: Geographic, WGS84 UNITS: Estimated persons per grid square MAPPING APPROACH: Land cover based, as described in: Linard, C., Gilbert, M., Snow, R.W., Noor, A.M. and Tatem, A.J., 2012, Population distribution, settlement patterns and accessibility across in 2010, PLoS ONE, 7(2): e31743. FORMAT: Geotiff (zipped using 7-zip (open access tool): www.7-zip.org) FILENAMES: Example - AGO10adjv4.tif = Angola (AGO) population count map for 2010 (10) adjusted to match UN national estimates (adj), version 4 (v4). Population maps are updated to new versions when improved census or other input data become available.

The annual population growth in Afghanistan stood at 2.14 percent in 2023. Between 1961 and 2023, the population growth rose by 0.18 percentage points, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend.

Historical dataset showing total population for Afghanistan by year from 1950 to 2025.

Afghanistan Population: Female: Ages 5-9: % of Female Population data was reported at 14.215 % in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 14.328 % for 2022. Afghanistan Population: Female: Ages 5-9: % of Female Population data is updated yearly, averaging 14.812 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 16.472 % in 2004 and a record low of 13.450 % in 1960. Afghanistan Population: Female: Ages 5-9: % of Female Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Afghanistan – Table AF.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Female population between the ages 5 to 9 as a percentage of the total female population.;United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2024 Revision.;;

Actual value and historical data chart for Afghanistan Population Female Percent Of Total

Afghanistan Population: Total data was reported at 41,454,761.000 Person in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 40,578,842.000 Person for 2022. Afghanistan Population: Total data is updated yearly, averaging 13,633,504.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2023, with 64 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 41,454,761.000 Person in 2023 and a record low of 9,035,043.000 Person in 1960. Afghanistan Population: Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Afghanistan – Table AF.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.;(1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2024 Revision; (2) Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices; (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics; (4) United Nations Statistics Division. Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years).;Sum;Relevance to gender indicator: disaggregating the population composition by gender will help a country in projecting its demand for social services on a gender basis.

Afghanistan Population: Male: Ages 45-49: % of Male Population data was reported at 3.232 % in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 3.206 % for 2021. Afghanistan Population: Male: Ages 45-49: % of Male Population data is updated yearly, averaging 3.236 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2022, with 63 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.019 % in 1960 and a record low of 2.676 % in 2008. Afghanistan Population: Male: Ages 45-49: % of Male Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Afghanistan – Table AF.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Male population between the ages 45 to 49 as a percentage of the total male population.;United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2022 Revision.;;

Population, total in Afghanistan was reported at 42647492 in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Afghanistan - Population, total - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on October of 2025.

Actual value and historical data chart for Afghanistan Population Growth Annual Percent

Complete population data for Afghanistan showing how many people live in Afghanistan from 1960 to 2024

Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) in Afghanistan was reported at 16.08 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Afghanistan - Population ages 0-4, male (% of male population) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.

Yearly (annual) dataset of the Afghanistan Population, including historical data, latest releases, and long-term trends from 1960-12-31 to 2024-12-31. Available for free download in CSV format.

Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) in Afghanistan was reported at 42.89 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Afghanistan - Population ages 0-14 (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on November of 2025.