Afghanistan vs Iran
Iran is 2.53 times larger than Afghanistan. Afghanistan would fit into Iran about 2.5 times.
AfghanistanIranAfghanistan moved onto Iran · Equal-area projection
0.4×
Afghanistan is 0.4× the area of Iran. Put the other way, Iran is 2.53× the size of Afghanistan.
 Afghanistan |  Iran | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaIran: 2.53× the area | 652,230 km²#40 of 194 | 1,648,195 km²#17 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationIran: 2.11× the population | 43,844,111#36 of 194 · 2025 | 92,417,681#17 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityAfghanistan: 1.2× the density | 67 / km²#119 of 194 | 56 / km²#130 of 194 |
| Urban populationIran: 2.99× the urban share | 26%#179 of 192 · 2025 | 77%#52 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAfghanistan: 2.83× the births per woman | 4.76 per woman#9 of 192 · 2024 | 1.68 per woman#119 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthAfghanistan: 1.85 points higher | +2.77%#19 of 192 · 2025 | +0.92%#101 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAfghanistan: 2.78× the birth rate | 35.0 per 1,000#9 of 192 · 2024 | 12.6 per 1,000#107 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateAfghanistan: 1.19× the death rate | 5.7 per 1,000#148 of 192 · 2024 | 4.8 per 1,000#176 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Afghanistan: 20.6 points higher | 42.6%#11 of 192 · 2025 | 22.0%#105 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Iran: 6.2 points higher | 2.4%#185 of 192 · 2025 | 8.6%#87 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationIran: 3.0 per 1,000 higher | −1.7 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2025 | +1.3 per 1,000#44 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadAfghanistan: 35.6× the refugees for its size | 60.93 per 1,000#6 of 190 · 2025 | 1.71 per 1,000#48 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyIran: 11.6 years longer | 66.3 years#158 of 192 · 2024 | 77.9 years#56 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityAfghanistan: 4.69× the infant mortality | 48.3 per 1,000 births#13 of 191 · 2024 | 10.3 per 1,000 births#110 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsIran: 5.66× the doctors per person | 0.32 per 1,000#136 of 178 · 2023 | 1.81 per 1,000#87 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolmentIran: 5.39× the university enrolment | 10.9%#128 of 145 · 2020 | 58.7%#59 of 145 · 2022 |
| Human Development IndexIran: 0.303 higher | 0.496#178 of 190 · 2023 | 0.799#74 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaIran: 11.9× the income per person | $390#184 of 185 · 2024 | $4,650#118 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPIran: 20.4× the economy | $17.78B2024 | $362.68B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Iran: 8.81× the output per person | $2,236#174 of 184 · 2024 | $19,699#95 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthAfghanistan: 4.7 points higher | +1.9%#134 of 187 · 2024 | −2.8%#185 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationIran: 48.8 points higher | −6.6%#176 of 176 · 2024 | +42.2%#5 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentAfghanistan: 1.61× the unemployment | 13.4%#20 of 178 · 2025 | 8.3%#48 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 2.5%#67 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 35.9#65 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureAfghanistan: 38.0 points higher | 51.6% of jobs#23 of 178 · 2025 | 13.6% of jobs#99 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryIran: 15.8 points higher | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 | 34.7% of jobs#6 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesIran: 22.2 points higher | 29.5% of jobs#165 of 178 · 2025 | 51.7% of jobs#110 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentIran: 0.4 points higher | 0.1% of GDP#158 of 184 · 2021 | 0.5% of GDP#144 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsIran: 10.1 points higher | 15.7% of GDP#146 of 168 · 2024 | 25.8% of GDP#112 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingIran: 1.14× the military spending | 1.8% of GDP#75 of 155 · 2021 | 2.1% of GDP#57 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersIran: 5.3× the share online | 16%#178 of 184 · 2024 | 85%#77 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsIran: 2.9× the mobile subscriptions | 60 per 100#176 of 191 · 2024 | 174 per 100#11 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaIran: 3.47× the forest share | 2% of land#172 of 192 · 2024 | 7% of land#161 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personIran: 32.3× the CO₂ per person | 0.28 t a year#164 of 185 · 2024 | 9.05 t a year#20 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyAfghanistan: 19.1 points higher | 20.0%#107 of 190 · 2022 | 0.9%#179 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityIran: 12.2 points higher | 87.8%#143 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Iran: 1.06× the air pollution | 37.9 µg/m³#26 of 191 · 2023 | 40.2 µg/m³#23 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landIran: 4.2 points higher | 3.6% of land#174 of 191 · 2025 | 7.8% of land#154 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landAfghanistan: 2.3 points higher | 12.0% of land#84 of 190 · 2024 | 9.7% of land#103 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressIran: 1.48× the water stress | 54.8%#33 of 176 · 2022 | 81.3%#22 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationAfghanistan: 1.43× the rain and snow | 327 mm#152 of 180 · 2022 | 228 mm#161 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityIran: 0.35 higher | −2.04#186 of 193 · 2025 | −1.69#176 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionIran: 0.17 higher | −1.31#173 of 193 · 2025 | −1.14#164 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 4.0 per 100,000#57 of 146 · 2021 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Theocracytheocratic; the United States does not recognize the Taliban Government | Theocracytheocratic republic |
| Member of | — | BRICS, OPEC |
| Capital | Kabul | Tehran |
| Currency | Afghani (AFN) | Iranian rial (IRR) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Pashto, Uzbek, Turkmen, Dari, Balochi, Nuristani, Pamir, Pashayi | Persian |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+4:30 | UTC+3:30 |
| Calling code | +93 | +98 |
| Region | Southern Asia, Asia | Southern Asia, Asia |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Afghanistan sits at about 34° N and is stretched to 1.45× its true area; Iran at 33° N is stretched to 1.41×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Afghanistan bigger than Iran?
- No. Afghanistan is 2.53 times smaller than Iran. Afghanistan covers 652,230 km² and Iran covers 1,648,195 km².
- How many times does Afghanistan fit into Iran?
- About 2.5 times: Iran has 2.53× the area of Afghanistan.
- Why do Afghanistan and Iran look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Afghanistan is drawn about 1.45× its true area there and Iran about 1.41×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Afghanistan or Iran?
- Iran: 92,417,681 people against 43,844,111. Density: Afghanistan 67 per km², Iran 56 per km².
- Which is richer, Afghanistan or Iran?
- By gross national income per person, Iran: $4,650 against $390 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2024) — 11.9× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Afghanistan or Iran?
- In Iran: life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years, against 66.3 — 11.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Afghanistan and Iran have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: theocracy (CIA World Factbook).