🇦🇫 Afghanistan vs 🇮🇷 Iran
34 indicators below, published by both countries and set side by side, with 1 more published for only one of them. They differ most on co₂ emissions, where Iran’s figure is 34.1× higher.
Side by Side
Each bar is scaled against the larger of the two values, so the gap is visible rather than only stated.
Bars compare magnitude only. A larger value is not a better one — several of these indicators have no better direction, and for others the lower figure is the favourable one.
Every Shared Indicator
34 indicators published for both countries. Bold marks the larger of the two values — larger is not always better. Ranks are out of the countries that report each indicator.
| Indicator | Afghanistan | Iran | Afghanistan vs Iran |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 43,844,11136th of 240 | 92,417,68117th of 240 | 53% lower |
| Annual Growth Rate | +2.77%21st of 240 | +0.92%112th of 240 | 3.0× higher |
| Population Density/km² | 64/km²153rd of 240 | 56/km²161st of 240 | 14% higher |
| Land Areakm² | 652,230 km²40th of 240 | 1,622,500 km²17th of 240 | 60% lower |
| Urban Population | 25.9%223rd of 240 | 77.4%82nd of 240 | 3.0× lower |
| GDP per Capita | $417239th of 240 | $3,924177th of 240 | 9.4× lower |
| GDP Growth | +1.9%146th of 210 | −2.8%206th of 210 | 4.7 points apart |
| Life Expectancyyears | 66.3 years206th of 240 | 77.9 years90th of 240 | 15% lower |
| Fertility Ratebirths per woman | 4.76 births per woman9th of 240 | 1.68 births per woman145th of 240 | 2.8× higher |
| Birth Rateper 1,000 | 35.0 per 1,0009th of 213 | 12.6 per 1,000112th of 213 | 2.8× higher |
| Death Rateper 1,000 | 5.7 per 1,000168th of 213 | 4.8 per 1,000196th of 213 | 20% higher |
| Infant Mortalityper 1,000 live births | 48.3 per 1,000 live births182nd of 194 | 10.3 per 1,000 live births83rd of 194 | 4.7× higher |
| Unemployment Rate | 13.4%166th of 186 | 8.3%133rd of 186 | 1.6× higher |
| Inflation Rate | -6.6%191st of 191 | 42.2%6th of 191 | 48.8 points apart |
| Poverty Rate | 47.1%141st of 164 | 8.3%18th of 164 | 5.7× higher |
| Health Spendingof GDP | 15.0% of GDP4th of 192 | 6.0% of GDP104th of 192 | 2.5× higher |
| Physiciansper 1,000 | 0.32 per 1,000162nd of 206 | 1.81 per 1,00094th of 206 | 5.7× lower |
| Hospital Bedsper 1,000 | 0.35 per 1,000191st of 199 | 1.85 per 1,000122nd of 199 | 5.3× lower |
| Literacy Rate | 37.3%170th of 175 | 88.9%107th of 175 | 58% lower |
| Education Spendingof GDP | 4.3% of GDP90th of 202 | 2.8% of GDP161st of 202 | 54% higher |
| School Enrollmentgross, secondary | 59.6% gross, secondary164th of 207 | 85.1% gross, secondary130th of 207 | 30% lower |
| Renewable Energyof final consumption | 20.0% of final consumption107th of 211 | 0.9% of final consumption192nd of 211 | 19.1 points apart |
| Forest Coverageof land area | 1.9% of land area186th of 211 | 6.6% of land area173rd of 211 | 3.6× lower |
| Internet Penetration | 16.1%200th of 211 | 85.3%85th of 211 | 5.3× lower |
| Mobile Subscriptionsper 100 people | 60.1 per 100 people194th of 212 | 174.1 per 100 people16th of 212 | 2.9× lower |
| Maternal Mortalityper 100,000 live births | 521 per 100,000 live births187th of 193 | 16 per 100,000 live births62nd of 193 | 505 per 100,000 live births apart |
| Military Spendingof GDP | 1.83% of GDP80th of 163 | 2.01% of GDP66th of 163 | 9% lower |
| Protected Areasof land area | 3.6% of land area190th of 211 | 7.8% of land area166th of 211 | 54% lower |
| Median Ageyears | 17.3 years229th of 240 | 34.0 years114th of 240 | 49% lower |
| Mean Years of Schoolingyears | 5.7 years132nd of 148 | 9.8 years72nd of 148 | 42% lower |
| Human Development Index | 0.496180th of 192 | 0.79974th of 192 | 38% lower |
| Happiness Index/ 10 | 1.45/ 10164th of 164 | 5.15/ 10104th of 164 | 3.6× lower |
| CO₂ Emissionstonnes per capita | 0.25 tonnes per capita193rd of 212 | 8.66 tonnes per capita31st of 212 | 8.40 tonnes per capita apart |
| Obesity Rate | 18.8%129th of 198 | 25.7%93rd of 198 | 27% lower |
Values are each country’s most recent published observation, so the two sides of a row may be from different years — the country pages show the year for each. Bold marks the larger of the two, which is not always the better one.
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.
| 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.