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Afghanistan Demographics

Population of Afghanistan (2026)

View live population, charts & trends: Population of Afghanistan

Afghanistan Population
45,047,069
see live
Yearly Change
+2.74%
Global Share
0.54%
Global Rank
36

Median Age

The median age in Afghanistan is 17.4 years (2026).

Fertility in Afghanistan

A Total Fertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1 represents the Replacement-Level Fertility: the average number of children per woman needed for each generation to exactly replace itself without needing international immigration. A value below 2.1 will cause the native population to decline


Total Fertility Rate (TFR)
4.6
(Live Births per Woman, 2026)

Life Expectancy in Afghanistan

See also: Countries in the world ranked by Life Expectancy

Both Sexes
66.8
(life expectancy at birth, both sexes combined)
Females
68.3
(life expectancy at birth, females)
Males
65.2
(life expectancy at birth, males)


Infant Mortality Rate and Deaths of Children under 5 Years Old in Afghanistan


Infant Mortality
40.0
(infant deaths per 1,000 live births)
Deaths under age 5
51.2
(per 1,000 live births)


Afghanistan Urban Population

Currently, 26.9% of the population of Afghanistan is urban (12,100,876 people in 2026)


Population Density

The 2026 population density in Afghanistan is 69 people per Km2 (179 people per mi2), calculated on a total land area of 652,860 Km2 (252,071 sq. miles).

Largest cities by Population in Afghanistan

(includes boroughs, districts, urban agglomerations, etc.)

Rank Urban Area Population Estimate (2025)
1 Kābul (Kabul) 5,635,737
2 Herat 1,259,425
3 Kandahar 799,015
4 Mazar i sharif 651,287
5 Jalalabad 587,508
6 Taloqan 290,028
7 Kunduz 287,295
8 Maymana 229,355
9 Puli Khumri 228,271
10 Charikar 227,054
11 Shindand 213,596
12 Firozkoh 204,753
13 Fayzabad 195,148
14 Toraghundi 190,543
15 Lashkar Gah 188,936
16 Khost 188,579
17 Sheberghan 181,348
18 Guzarah 176,657
19 Mihtarlam 162,346
20 Nao Deh 160,058
21 Girishk 148,717
22 Farah 145,299
23 Samangan 137,944
24 Andkhoy 135,875
25 Bai Ghesi 133,028
26 Sar-e Pol 129,350
27 Koh-i-Sayad 128,109
28 Qala i Naw 121,540
29 Ghurian 121,509
30 Bagram 120,031
More info

See also

Sources

Definitions

Population Pyramid

A Population pyramid (also called "Age-Sex Pyramid") is a graphical representation of the age and sex of a population.

Types:

  • Expansive - pyramid with a wide base (larger percentage of people in younger age groups, indicating high birth rates and high fertility rates) and narrow top (high death rate and lower life expectancies). It suggests a growing population. Example: Nigeria Population Pyramid
  • Constrictive - pyramid with a narrow base (lower percentage of younger people, indicating declining birth rates with each succeeding age group getting smaller than the previous one). Example: United States
  • Stationary - with a somewhat equal proportion of the population in each age group. The population is stable, neither increasing nor decreasing.

Stages:

Population pyramid stages

Dependency Ratio

There are three types of age dependency ratio: Youth, Elderly, and Total. All three ratios are commonly multiplied by 100.

Youth Dependency Ratio

Definition: population ages 0-15 divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 0-15] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Elderly dependency ratio

Definition: population ages 65-plus divided by the population ages 16-64.

Formula: ([Population ages 65-plus] ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

Total dependency ratio

Definition: sum of the youth and old-age ratios.

Formula: (([Population ages 0-15] + [Population ages 65-plus]) ÷ [Population ages 16-64]) × 100

NOTE: Dependency Ratio does not take into account labor force participation rates by age group. Some portion of the population counted as "working age" may actually be unemployed or not in the labor force whereas some portion of the "dependent" population may be employed and not necessarily economically dependent.