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Population in Afghanistan compared to Saudi Arabia: Trends, Charts, Rankings

Updated on by Georank team

The latest officially reported population of Afghanistan was 42,647,492 in 2024 vs 35,300,280 people in Saudi Arabia in 2024. In 2025, based on the adjusted UN estimation, the current Afghanistan's population is 44,810,409 people compared to 36,428,123 in Saudi Arabia.

Population statistics:

  • Afghanistan's population is 1.23 times bigger than Saudi Arabia's.
  • Afghanistan is ranked the 36th most populous country in the world, while Saudi Arabia is the 44th.
  • The countries together account for 0.98% of the world: 0.54% for Afghanistan vs 0.44% for Saudi Arabia.
  • For the last 10 years, Afghanistan has had an average growth rate of +2.76% per year vs +2.3% in Saudi Arabia.
  • Since 2005, the population of Afghanistan has increased from 24.4M people to 44.8M (83.6% growth), while Saudi Arabia has grown from 20.6M to 36.4M (77.2% growth).
  • Afghanistan is projected to reach its peak in 2100 at 130M people compared to the peak of 73.8M people in 2100 for Saudi Arabia.

Afghanistan vs Saudi Arabia: live population counter

Afghanistan Saudi Arabia
Current population
44810409
36428123
Population rank 36/197 44/197
Percent of world population 0.54% 0.44%
One net population change
26.4 seconds
19.7 seconds
One birth every
21.5 seconds
57 seconds
One death every
2.19 minutes
6.66 minutes
One migration net change every
11.9 minutes
4.3 minutes
Annual migration change -44,089 +122,170
Daily growth/decline +3,268 +4,377
Annual growth/decline +1,192,731 +1,597,549
Annual growth/decline rate +2.88% +4.74%
Population growth rate rank 20/197 3/197

Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia: population history and growth rate by year chart

Afghanistan
Population

Growth rate
Saudi Arabia
Population

Growth rate
Year Population Growth rate
Afghanistan Saudi Arabia Afghanistan Saudi Arabia
1960 9,035,043 2,435,403 - -
1961 9,214,083 2,526,347 1.98% 3.73%
1962 9,404,406 2,620,910 2.07% 3.74%
1963 9,604,487 2,719,341 2.13% 3.76%
1964 9,814,318 2,821,968 2.18% 3.77%
1965 10,036,008 2,928,771 2.26% 3.78%
1966 10,266,395 3,039,887 2.3% 3.79%
1967 10,505,959 3,157,242 2.33% 3.86%
1968 10,756,922 3,282,711 2.39% 3.97%
1969 11,017,409 3,417,114 2.42% 4.09%
1970 11,290,128 3,562,470 2.48% 4.25%
1971 11,567,667 3,724,031 2.46% 4.54%
1972 11,853,696 3,905,722 2.47% 4.88%
1973 12,157,999 4,106,344 2.57% 5.14%
1974 12,469,127 4,323,632 2.56% 5.29%
1975 12,773,954 4,556,287 2.44% 5.38%
1976 13,059,851 4,807,933 2.24% 5.52%
1977 13,340,756 5,083,048 2.15% 5.72%
1978 13,611,441 5,381,902 2.03% 5.88%
1979 13,655,567 5,703,698 0.32% 5.98%
1980 13,169,311 6,047,997 -3.56% 6.04%
1981 11,937,581 6,420,551 -9.35% 6.16%
1982 10,991,378 6,824,486 -7.93% 6.29%
1983 10,917,982 7,252,941 -0.67% 6.28%
1984 11,190,221 7,697,307 2.49% 6.13%
1985 11,426,852 8,151,779 2.11% 5.9%
1986 11,420,074 8,628,639 -0.06% 5.85%
1987 11,387,818 9,130,194 -0.28% 5.81%
1988 11,523,298 9,629,165 1.19% 5.47%
1989 11,874,088 10,128,394 3.04% 5.18%
1990 12,045,660 10,640,691 1.44% 5.06%
1991 12,238,879 11,160,744 1.6% 4.89%
1992 13,278,974 11,686,676 8.5% 4.71%
1993 14,943,172 12,215,862 12.5% 4.53%
1994 16,250,794 12,750,040 8.75% 4.37%
1995 17,065,836 13,289,245 5.02% 4.23%
1996 17,763,266 13,831,009 4.09% 4.08%
1997 18,452,091 14,374,943 3.88% 3.93%
1998 19,159,996 14,922,185 3.84% 3.81%
1999 19,887,785 15,472,075 3.8% 3.69%
2000 20,130,327 16,177,722 1.22% 4.56%
2001 20,284,307 17,041,397 0.76% 5.34%
2002 21,378,117 17,910,910 5.39% 5.1%
2003 22,733,049 18,786,767 6.34% 4.89%
2004 23,560,654 19,669,480 3.64% 4.7%
2005 24,404,567 20,559,890 3.58% 4.53%
2006 25,424,094 21,459,144 4.18% 4.37%
2007 25,909,852 22,368,313 1.91% 4.24%
2008 26,482,622 23,287,877 2.21% 4.11%
2009 27,466,101 24,217,654 3.71% 3.99%
2010 28,284,089 23,978,487 2.98% -0.99%
2011 29,347,708 25,091,867 3.76% 4.64%
2012 30,560,034 26,168,861 4.13% 4.29%
2013 31,622,704 27,624,004 3.48% 5.56%
2014 32,792,523 28,309,273 3.7% 2.48%
2015 33,831,764 29,816,382 3.17% 5.32%
2016 34,700,612 30,954,198 2.57% 3.82%
2017 35,688,935 30,977,355 2.85% 0.07%
2018 36,743,039 30,196,281 2.95% -2.52%
2019 37,856,121 30,063,799 3.03% -0.44%
2020 39,068,979 31,552,510 3.2% 4.95%
2021 40,000,412 30,784,383 2.38% -2.43%
2022 40,578,842 32,175,224 1.45% 4.52%
2023 41,454,761 33,702,731 2.16% 4.75%
2024 42,647,492 35,300,280 2.88% 4.74%
2025 43,844,105 35,927,625 2.81% 1.78%
2026 45,047,056 36,550,694 2.74% 1.73%
2027 46,258,902 37,167,513 2.69% 1.69%
2028 47,470,560 37,775,810 2.62% 1.64%
2029 48,725,707 38,364,377 2.64% 1.56%
2030 50,039,392 38,918,375 2.7% 1.44%
2031 51,375,991 39,450,880 2.67% 1.37%
2032 52,707,835 39,983,934 2.59% 1.35%
2033 54,044,241 40,517,599 2.54% 1.33%
2034 55,359,451 41,052,423 2.43% 1.32%
2035 56,647,220 41,588,429 2.33% 1.31%
2036 57,953,651 42,125,184 2.31% 1.29%
2037 59,279,025 42,661,908 2.29% 1.27%
2038 60,597,829 43,198,420 2.22% 1.26%
2039 61,944,459 43,734,316 2.22% 1.24%
2040 63,347,863 44,269,571 2.27% 1.22%
2041 64,738,834 44,804,338 2.2% 1.21%
2042 66,060,206 45,338,111 2.04% 1.19%
2043 67,375,149 45,870,896 1.99% 1.18%
2044 68,703,950 46,403,116 1.97% 1.16%
2045 70,021,184 46,934,822 1.92% 1.15%
2046 71,384,682 47,465,267 1.95% 1.13%
2047 72,756,288 47,993,976 1.92% 1.11%
2048 74,109,717 48,521,364 1.86% 1.1%
2049 75,515,588 49,047,461 1.9% 1.08%
2050 76,885,118 49,572,202 1.81% 1.07%

From 2005 to 2015, the population of Afghanistan increased by 9,427,197 people (a 38.6% growth), while Saudi Arabia gained 9,256,492 people (a 45% growth).

For the next 10 years, from 2015 to 2025, Afghanistan gained 10,978,645 (a 32.5% growth), while Saudi Arabia's population increased by 6,611,741 (a 22.2% growth).

Afghanistan was ranked 45th most populous country in 2005 and is 36th in 2025. Saudi Arabia was ranked 51st in 2005 and ranked 44th now.

The UN's World Population Prospects forecasts that with changing growth rate trends in 25 years (in 2050) Afghanistan's population will grow by 71.6% to 76,885,118 people with a rank change from 36th to 25th. The population of Saudi Arabia will increase by 36.1% to 49,572,202 people and rank change from 44th to 43rd.

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