What is the population of Kabul?
Kabul has a city population of 4,434,550. That is the population within the city's own boundary, not its wider metropolitan area. City population, GeoNames.
Capital city · Afghanistan · Asia
Kabul
City population
4,434,550
#1
in Afghanistan
#1
in Kabul
#72
worldwide
34.528, 69.172
About Kabul
With a city-proper population of 4,434,550 and metropolitan area exceeding 4.6 million, Kabul is among Asia's largest urban centers. The city sits at an elevation of 1,798 meters and maintains a notably high population density of 16,731 people per km². An annual growth rate of 4.3% indicates ongoing expansion.
Kabul was established in 1200 and is served by Kabul International Airport. The city is administered by mayor Hamdullah Nomani.
This summary is AI-generated from the figures on this page. The figures themselves come from the sources cited beside each value.
Metro population
4,601,000
0.055% of world population
Archive estimateAnnual growth
+4.25%
Archive estimateDensity
16,731/km²
275 km² metro area
Key Facts
Country
Region
Kabul
Rank in region
#1of 3
Founded
1200
Leadership
Hamdullah Nomani
Coordinates
34.528, 69.172
Record updated
12 November 2024
Entry edited, not measured
City population, GeoNames. GeoNames publishes no year for its population figures, so “record updated” is when the entry was last edited — not the date the population was measured. Elevation is modelled from a digital elevation model rather than surveyed, so it is approximate.
Nearby Cities
All 53 in AfghanistanClosest listed cities by great-circle distance from the city centre.
Compared with the World's Largest Cities
City-proper population against the fifteen largest cities in the dataset.
| Name | City population |
|---|---|
| Shanghai | 24.9M |
| Beijing | 19M |
| Shenzhen | 17.5M |
| Guangzhou | 16.1M |
| Kinshasa | 16M |
| Istanbul | 15.7M |
| Lagos | 15.4M |
| Ho Chi Minh City | 14M |
| Chengdu | 13.6M |
| Lahore | 13M |
| Mumbai | 12.7M |
| São Paulo | 12.4M |
| Mexico City | 12.3M |
| Karachi | 11.6M |
| Tianjin | 11.1M |
| Kabul | 4.43M |
Airports
Scheduled-service airports within 100 km, nearest first.
- Kabul International AirportKBL
6 km from the city centre
Source: OurAirports, matched by distance.
Population Trend in Afghanistan
No free source publishes city population back to 1950, so the parent country's series is shown instead.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 7,776,176 |
| 1960 | 9,035,043 |
| 1970 | 11,290,128 |
| 1980 | 13,169,311 |
| 1990 | 12,045,660 |
| 2000 | 20,130,327 |
| 2010 | 28,284,089 |
| 2020 | 39,068,979 |
| 2030 | 50,039,402 |
| 2040 | 63,347,870 |
| 2050 | 76,885,135 |
| 2060 | 90,362,736 |
| 2070 | 103,416,642 |
| 2080 | 114,673,795 |
| 2090 | 123,304,496 |
| 2100 | 130,216,739 |
Kabul Population FAQ
Where is Kabul?
Kabul is in Kabul, Afghanistan. Its coordinates are 34.528, 69.172.
How big is Kabul compared with other cities in Afghanistan?
It is the 1st largest of the 53 cities listed in Afghanistan, holding 10.1% of the national population.