Rural population in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Rural population was 74.1% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Afghanistan, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in Afghanistan stood at 74.1%. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 2.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Afghanistan peaked at 91.9% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 74.1%, in 2025.
That places Afghanistan 14th out of 217 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Rural population in Afghanistan, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 91.9% | — |
| 1961 | 91.6% | -0.3% |
| 1962 | 91.3% | -0.3% |
| 1963 | 91.1% | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 90.8% | -0.3% |
| 1965 | 90.5% | -0.3% |
| 1966 | 90.2% | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 89.8% | -0.4% |
| 1968 | 89.5% | -0.4% |
| 1969 | 89.2% | -0.4% |
| 1970 | 88.8% | -0.4% |
| 1971 | 88.3% | -0.5% |
| 1972 | 87.8% | -0.6% |
| 1973 | 87.3% | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 86.8% | -0.6% |
| 1975 | 86.2% | -0.6% |
| 1976 | 85.7% | -0.6% |
| 1977 | 85.3% | -0.5% |
| 1978 | 84.9% | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 84.6% | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 84.3% | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 84.1% | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 83.9% | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 83.7% | -0.2% |
| 1984 | 83.5% | -0.2% |
| 1985 | 83.4% | -0.2% |
| 1986 | 83.2% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 83.1% | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 83.0% | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 82.9% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 82.7% | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 82.6% | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 82.5% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 82.4% | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 82.3% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 82.2% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 82.0% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 81.9% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 81.8% | -0.2% |
| 1999 | 81.6% | -0.2% |
| 2000 | 81.4% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 81.3% | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 81.1% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 80.8% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 80.6% | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 80.3% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 79.9% | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 79.4% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 78.9% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 78.3% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 77.7% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 77.2% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 76.7% | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 76.2% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 75.8% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 75.5% | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 75.3% | -0.3% |
| 2017 | 75.2% | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 75.0% | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 74.9% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 74.7% | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 74.7% | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 74.6% | -0.1% |
| 2023 | 74.5% | -0.1% |
| 2024 | 74.3% | -0.3% |
| 2025 | 74.1% | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 90.6% | 89.2% | 91.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 86.6% | 84.6% | 88.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 83.5% | 82.9% | 84.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 82.2% | 81.6% | 82.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 80.2% | 78.3% | 81.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 75.9% | 74.9% | 77.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 74.5% | 74.1% | 74.7% | 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 in Afghanistan?
- Rural population in Afghanistan was 74.1% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Afghanistan?
- The highest recorded value was 91.9% in 1960.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Afghanistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 74.1% in 2025.
- How does Afghanistan rank for rural population?
- Afghanistan ranks 14th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Afghanistan?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Afghanistan data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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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.