🇦🇫 Afghanistan vs 🇮🇷 Iran
Iran has 48.6M more people — 92,417,681 against 43,844,111. Below, 34 indicators both countries publish, side by side.
🇦🇫 Afghanistan
43,844,111
Asia · rank #36 · +2.77%
World Bank, 2025🇮🇷 Iran
92,417,681
Asia · rank #17 · +0.92%
World Bank, 2025Every Shared Indicator
34 indicators published for both countries. Ranks are out of the countries that report each indicator.
| Indicator | Afghanistan | Iran |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 43,844,11136th of 240 | 92,417,68117th of 240 |
| Annual Growth Rate | +2.77%21st of 240 | +0.92%112th of 240 |
| Population Density/km² | 64/km²153rd of 240 | 56/km²161st of 240 |
| Land Areakm² | 652,230 km²40th of 240 | 1,622,500 km²17th of 240 |
| Urban Population | 25.9%223rd of 240 | 77.4%82nd of 240 |
| GDP per Capita | $417239th of 240 | $3,924177th of 240 |
| GDP Growth | +1.9%146th of 210 | −2.8%206th of 210 |
| Life Expectancyyears | 66.3 years206th of 240 | 77.9 years90th of 240 |
| Fertility Ratebirths per woman | 4.76 births per woman9th of 240 | 1.68 births per woman145th of 240 |
| Birth Rateper 1,000 | 35.0 per 1,0009th of 213 | 12.6 per 1,000112th of 213 |
| Death Rateper 1,000 | 5.7 per 1,000168th of 213 | 4.8 per 1,000196th of 213 |
| Infant Mortalityper 1,000 live births | 48.3 per 1,000 live births13th of 194 | 10.3 per 1,000 live births112th of 194 |
| Unemployment Rate | 13.4%21st of 186 | 8.3%54th of 186 |
| Inflation Rate | -6.6%191st of 191 | 42.2%6th of 191 |
| Poverty Rate | 47.1%24th of 164 | 8.3%147th of 164 |
| Health Spendingof GDP | 15.0% of GDP4th of 192 | 6.0% of GDP104th of 192 |
| Physiciansper 1,000 | 0.32 per 1,000162nd of 206 | 1.81 per 1,00094th of 206 |
| Hospital Bedsper 1,000 | 0.35 per 1,000191st of 199 | 1.85 per 1,000122nd of 199 |
| Literacy Rate | 37.3%170th of 175 | 88.9%107th of 175 |
| Education Spendingof GDP | 4.3% of GDP90th of 202 | 2.8% of GDP161st of 202 |
| School Enrollmentgross, secondary | 59.6% gross, secondary164th of 207 | 85.1% gross, secondary130th of 207 |
| Renewable Energyof final consumption | 20.0% of final consumption107th of 211 | 0.9% of final consumption192nd of 211 |
| Forest Coverageof land area | 1.9% of land area186th of 211 | 6.6% of land area173rd of 211 |
| Internet Penetration | 16.1%200th of 211 | 85.3%85th of 211 |
| Mobile Subscriptionsper 100 people | 60.1 per 100 people194th of 212 | 174.1 per 100 people16th of 212 |
| Maternal Mortalityper 100,000 live births | 521 per 100,000 live births7th of 193 | 16 per 100,000 live births130th of 193 |
| Military Spendingof GDP | 1.83% of GDP80th of 163 | 2.01% of GDP66th of 163 |
| Protected Areasof land area | 3.6% of land area190th of 211 | 7.8% of land area166th of 211 |
| Median Ageyears | 17.3 years229th of 240 | 34.0 years114th of 240 |
| Mean Years of Schoolingyears | 5.7 years132nd of 148 | 9.8 years72nd of 148 |
| Human Development Index | 0.496180th of 192 | 0.79974th of 192 |
| Happiness Index/ 10 | 1.45/ 10164th of 164 | 5.15/ 10104th of 164 |
| CO₂ Emissionstonnes per capita | 0.25 tonnes per capita193rd of 212 | 8.66 tonnes per capita31st of 212 |
| Obesity Rate | 18.8%129th of 198 | 25.7%93rd of 198 |
Not Comparable
Published for one country but not the other, so no comparison is shown.
- Gini Index — 35.9 for Iran, not published for Afghanistan
Population, 1950–2100
Observed to 2024, then the UN medium-variant projection.
AfghanistanIran
| Series | Year | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 1950 | 7.78M |
| Afghanistan | 1975 | 12.8M |
| Afghanistan | 2000 | 20.1M |
| Afghanistan | 2025 | 43.8M |
| Afghanistan | 2050 | 76.9M |
| Afghanistan | 2075 | 109.4M |
| Afghanistan | 2100 | 130.2M |
| Iran | 1950 | 16.5M |
| Iran | 1975 | 33.8M |
| Iran | 2000 | 66.4M |
| Iran | 2025 | 92.4M |
| Iran | 2050 | 101.9M |
| Iran | 2075 | 93.8M |
| Iran | 2100 | 80M |
Reading This Comparison
Size is not the same as rate
Totals and per-capita measures answer different questions. A country can have a far larger economy and a far lower GDP per capita at the same time — both facts are in the table.
Mind the vintages
Each value is the latest available for that country, which is not always the same year on both sides. For indicators that move slowly this rarely matters; for inflation or GDP growth it can.