Rural population growth in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Rural population growth was 2.4% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Rural population growth in Afghanistan, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Afghanistan recorded 2.4% for rural population growth in 2025.
That represents a change of down 3.4% on the previous year and down 11.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population growth in Afghanistan peaked at 11.7% in 1993 and was at its lowest, -10.1%, in 1981.
That places Afghanistan 12th out of 209 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Rural population growth in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.7% | — |
| 1962 | 1.7% | +4.5% |
| 1963 | 1.8% | +3.0% |
| 1964 | 1.8% | +2.5% |
| 1965 | 1.9% | +3.3% |
| 1966 | 1.9% | +1.2% |
| 1967 | 1.9% | +1.1% |
| 1968 | 2.0% | +1.9% |
| 1969 | 2.0% | +0.7% |
| 1970 | 2.0% | +0.8% |
| 1971 | 1.9% | -4.0% |
| 1972 | 1.9% | -2.9% |
| 1973 | 1.9% | +2.7% |
| 1974 | 1.9% | -1.4% |
| 1975 | 1.8% | -5.6% |
| 1976 | 1.6% | -9.7% |
| 1977 | 1.6% | -2.0% |
| 1978 | 1.5% | -2.6% |
| 1979 | -0.0% | -102.3% |
| 1980 | -3.9% | +10843.0% |
| 1981 | -10.1% | +157.6% |
| 1982 | -8.5% | -15.7% |
| 1983 | -0.9% | -89.5% |
| 1984 | 2.3% | -353.1% |
| 1985 | 1.9% | -15.7% |
| 1986 | -0.2% | -112.3% |
| 1987 | -0.4% | +90.6% |
| 1988 | 1.0% | -331.4% |
| 1989 | 2.9% | +177.0% |
| 1990 | 1.3% | -54.6% |
| 1991 | 1.5% | +12.4% |
| 1992 | 8.0% | +451.3% |
| 1993 | 11.7% | +45.5% |
| 1994 | 8.2% | -29.3% |
| 1995 | 4.7% | -42.4% |
| 1996 | 3.9% | -18.9% |
| 1997 | 3.6% | -5.5% |
| 1998 | 3.6% | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 3.5% | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 1.0% | -71.6% |
| 2001 | 0.5% | -46.6% |
| 2002 | 5.0% | +832.1% |
| 2003 | 5.9% | +17.4% |
| 2004 | 3.3% | -44.2% |
| 2005 | 3.1% | -4.3% |
| 2006 | 3.6% | +14.3% |
| 2007 | 1.3% | -64.1% |
| 2008 | 1.5% | +17.3% |
| 2009 | 2.9% | +93.6% |
| 2010 | 2.2% | -24.9% |
| 2011 | 3.0% | +35.0% |
| 2012 | 3.4% | +13.4% |
| 2013 | 2.8% | -16.5% |
| 2014 | 3.1% | +11.3% |
| 2015 | 2.8% | -11.8% |
| 2016 | 2.3% | -17.4% |
| 2017 | 2.6% | +13.0% |
| 2018 | 2.7% | +4.6% |
| 2019 | 2.8% | +3.7% |
| 2020 | 3.0% | +7.3% |
| 2021 | 2.2% | -25.2% |
| 2022 | 1.4% | -38.7% |
| 2023 | 2.0% | +47.7% |
| 2024 | 2.5% | +24.7% |
| 2025 | 2.4% | -3.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.9% | 1.7% | 2.0% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.6% | -0.0% | 2.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | -1.6% | -10.1% | 2.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.0% | 1.3% | 11.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.8% | 0.5% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.8% | 2.2% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.3% | 1.4% | 3.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Afghanistan
More agriculture & rural data for Afghanistan
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.31 % change on previous year (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3429 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 142.96 current US$ per person (2024)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.47 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0018 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7406 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 34.3% (2024)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 34.3% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 21.0% (2019)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.8% (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population growth in Afghanistan?
- Rural population growth in Afghanistan was 2.4% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population growth recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 11.7% in 1993.
- What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was -10.1% in 1981.
- How does Afghanistan rank for rural population growth?
- Afghanistan ranks 12th out of 209 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population growth rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. 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.