Nations by Numbers

Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

Afghanistan in numbers

Afghanistan is in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan and is classed by the World Bank as low income. Its capital is Kabul. Its population was 43.84 million in 2025, ranking 36 of 217 countries. GDP per person was US$417 in 2024.

Population43.84 million2025
GDPUS$17.8 billion2024
GDP per personUS$4172024
Life expectancy66.32024
Area652,8702024
Urban share25.9%2025

People

Population

43.84 million
2025 · +118% since 2000 · Rank 36 of 217

Population growth (annual %)

2.77%
2025 · 1.21% in 2000 · Rank 20 of 217

Population density (people per km²)

65.4
2024 · +112% since 2000 · Rank 140 of 216

Urban population (% of total)

25.9%
2025 · 18.6% in 2000 · Rank 204 of 217

Population aged 0 to 14 (% of total)

42.6%
2025 · 50.0% in 2000 · Rank 11 of 217

Population aged 65 and over (% of total)

2.4%
2025 · 2.3% in 2000 · Rank 210 of 217

Fertility rate (births per woman)

4.76
2024 · -37% since 2000 · Rank 9 of 217

Health and living standards

Life expectancy at birth (years)

66.3
2024 · +21% since 2000 · Rank 184 of 217

Under-5 mortality (per 1,000 live births)

53.0
2024 · -60% since 2000 · Rank 26 of 196

Health spending per person (current US$)

US$59
2023 · +254% since 2002 · Rank 167 of 193

Access to electricity (% of population)

87.8%
2024 · 4.4% in 2000 · Rank 166 of 215

Internet users (% of population)

16.1%
2024 · 0.0% in 2001 · Rank 181 of 186

Primary school enrolment (% gross)

112.2%
2023 · 21.5% in 2000 · Rank 27 of 190

Economy

GDP (current US$)

US$17.8 billion
2024 · +405% since 2000 · Rank 138 of 210

GDP per person (current US$)

US$417
2024 · +138% since 2000 · Rank 209 of 210

GDP per person, PPP (current international $)

Int$2,236
2024 · +175% since 2000 · Rank 189 of 199

GDP growth (annual %)

1.87%
2024 · -9.43% in 2001 · Rank 149 of 210

Inflation, consumer prices (annual %)

-6.60%
2024 · 12.69% in 2005 · Rank 180 of 180

Unemployment (% of labour force, ILO estimate)

13.4%
2025 · 7.9% in 2000 · Rank 21 of 187

Exports of goods and services (% of GDP)

15.7%
2024 · 10.4% in 2020 · Rank 159 of 183

Personal remittances received (% of GDP)

4.0%
2020 · 0.9% in 2008

Land and environment

Land and water area (km²)

652,870
2024 · +0% since 2000 · Rank 40 of 216

Forest area (% of land area)

1.9%
2024 · 1.9% in 2000 · Rank 189 of 214

CO₂ emissions per person (tonnes)

0.28
2024 · +464% since 2000 · Rank 176 of 203

Elsewhere in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan

United Arab EmiratesBahrainDjiboutiAlgeriaEgypt, Arab Rep.Iran, Islamic Rep.IraqIsraelJordanKuwaitLebanonLibya

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators, updated 8 October 2026. Each figure is the latest year available for Afghanistan. Rankings compare countries with data from the same or recent years.