Urban population in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Urban population was 11.37 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Afghanistan, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, urban population in Afghanistan stood at 11.37 million. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.8% on the previous year and up 37.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Afghanistan peaked at 11.37 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 733,876, in 1960.
That places Afghanistan 59th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 944,467 | 733,876 | 1.20 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.70 million | 1.27 million | 2.11 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.91 million | 1.77 million | 2.07 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.88 million | 2.08 million | 3.66 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.73 million | 3.74 million | 5.96 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.00 million | 6.30 million | 9.52 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.53 million | 9.87 million | 11.37 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
- 56 Mozambique 13.26 million compare
- 57 Kazakhstan 13.00 million compare
- 58 Ecuador 11.59 million compare
- 60 Somalia 10.84 million compare
- 61 Madagascar 10.77 million compare
- 62 Jordan 10.74 million compare
More climate change data for Afghanistan
- Population growth 2.8% (2025)
- Population, total 43.84 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 3.7% (2025)
- Urban population 25.9% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 11.1% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 20.28 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 43.0% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 3.6% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 3.6% (2025)
- CPIA public sector management and institutions cluster average 1.7 1=low to 6=high (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Afghanistan?
- Urban population in Afghanistan was 11.37 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 11.37 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 733,876 in 1960.
- How does Afghanistan rank for urban population?
- Afghanistan ranks 59th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.