Afghanistan vs Sub-Saharan Africa: Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization)
Afghanistan
74.1%
in 2025
Sub-Saharan Africa
55.3%
in 2025
Afghanistan rank
14th
Sub-Saharan Africa rank
12th
Rural population (% of total population) (Rural World Urbanization) over time
- Afghanistan
- Sub-Saharan Africa
How they compare
Afghanistan currently reports 74.1% against 55.3% in Sub-Saharan Africa, a difference of 18.8%.
That makes Afghanistan's figure about 1.3 times Sub-Saharan Africa's.
Across all 66 years both countries report, Afghanistan has been ahead every year.
Afghanistan ranks 14th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 12th of 218 countries.
Afghanistan has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Afghanistan | Sub-Saharan Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 90.6% | 83.9% | 6.7% | Afghanistan |
| 1970s | 86.6% | 79.3% | 7.3% | Afghanistan |
| 1980s | 83.5% | 74.5% | 9.0% | Afghanistan |
| 1990s | 82.2% | 69.6% | 12.6% | Afghanistan |
| 2000s | 80.2% | 65.1% | 15.1% | Afghanistan |
| 2010s | 75.9% | 60.4% | 15.6% | Afghanistan |
| 2020s | 74.5% | 56.6% | 17.9% | Afghanistan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rural population, Afghanistan or Sub-Saharan Africa?
- Afghanistan, at 74.1% against 55.3% in Sub-Saharan Africa as of 2025.
- What is the difference in rural population between Afghanistan and Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 18.8%, with Afghanistan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and Sub-Saharan Africa?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Afghanistan and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for rural population?
- Afghanistan ranks 14th and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 12th of 218 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.