Population by labor force status bars in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Population by labor force status bars was 18.66 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
18.66 million
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
21st
of 186 countries
All-time high
18.66 million
in 2025
All-time low
5.86 million
in 1991
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Population by labor force status bars in Afghanistan, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 18.66 million for population by labor force status bars in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 19.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population by labor force status bars in Afghanistan peaked at 18.66 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 5.86 million, in 1991.
Afghanistan ranks 21st of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Population by labor force status bars in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5.86 million | — |
| 1992 | 6.38 million | +8.9% |
| 1993 | 7.21 million | +13.0% |
| 1994 | 7.88 million | +9.3% |
| 1995 | 8.32 million | +5.6% |
| 1996 | 8.71 million | +4.7% |
| 1997 | 9.09 million | +4.5% |
| 1998 | 9.50 million | +4.4% |
| 1999 | 9.91 million | +4.3% |
| 2000 | 10.07 million | +1.6% |
| 2001 | 10.18 million | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 10.74 million | +5.5% |
| 2003 | 11.42 million | +6.3% |
| 2004 | 11.82 million | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 12.21 million | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 12.68 million | +3.8% |
| 2007 | 12.85 million | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 13.04 million | +1.5% |
| 2009 | 13.42 million | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 13.71 million | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 14.10 million | +2.8% |
| 2012 | 14.55 million | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 14.91 million | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 15.32 million | +2.7% |
| 2015 | 15.65 million | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 15.89 million | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 16.19 million | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 16.52 million | +2.0% |
| 2019 | 16.88 million | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 17.28 million | +2.4% |
| 2021 | 17.56 million | +1.7% |
| 2022 | 17.68 million | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 17.92 million | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 18.29 million | +2.1% |
| 2025 | 18.66 million | +2.0% |
Afghanistan compared with similar countries
- Afghanistan's 18.66 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 9.15 million, 2.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Afghanistan's 18.66 million is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 2.91 million, 6.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.09 million | 5.86 million | 9.91 million | 9 |
| 2000s | 11.84 million | 10.07 million | 13.42 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.37 million | 13.71 million | 16.88 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.90 million | 17.28 million | 18.66 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More work & labour data for Afghanistan
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.4637 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.4511 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.4755 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -0.088 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.67 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 25,498 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 36,430 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 65,039 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 65,177 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 130,217 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population by labor force status bars in Afghanistan?
- Population by labor force status bars in Afghanistan was 18.66 million in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population by labor force status bars recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 18.66 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population by labor force status bars recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.86 million in 1991.
- How does Afghanistan rank for population by labor force status bars?
- Afghanistan ranks 21st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population by labor force status bars rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Population by labor force status bars. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).