Afghanistan vs Myanmar
Myanmar is 4% larger than Afghanistan.
AfghanistanMyanmarAfghanistan moved onto Myanmar · Equal-area projection
0.96×
Afghanistan is 0.96× the area of Myanmar. Put the other way, Myanmar is 1.04× the size of Afghanistan.
 Afghanistan |  Myanmar | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaMyanmar: 1.04× the area | 652,230 km²#40 of 194 | 676,577 km²#39 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationMyanmar: 1.25× the population | 43,844,111#36 of 194 · 2025 | 54,850,648#27 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMyanmar: 1.21× the density | 67 / km²#119 of 194 | 81 / km²#102 of 194 |
| Urban populationMyanmar: 1.18× the urban share | 26%#179 of 192 · 2025 | 31%#171 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAfghanistan: 2.27× the births per woman | 4.76 per woman#9 of 192 · 2024 | 2.10 per woman#92 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthAfghanistan: 2.13 points higher | +2.77%#19 of 192 · 2025 | +0.64%#119 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAfghanistan: 2.12× the birth rate | 35.0 per 1,000#9 of 192 · 2024 | 16.5 per 1,000#88 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateMyanmar: 1.61× the death rate | 5.7 per 1,000#148 of 192 · 2024 | 9.2 per 1,000#50 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Afghanistan: 18.5 points higher | 42.6%#11 of 192 · 2025 | 24.1%#98 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Myanmar: 5.1 points higher | 2.4%#185 of 192 · 2025 | 7.5%#96 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationMyanmar: 1.0 per 1,000 higher | −1.7 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2025 | −0.7 per 1,000#111 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadAfghanistan: 2.19× the refugees for its size | 60.93 per 1,000#6 of 190 · 2025 | 27.79 per 1,000#9 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyMyanmar: 0.8 years longer | 66.3 years#158 of 192 · 2024 | 67.1 years#152 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityAfghanistan: 1.47× the infant mortality | 48.3 per 1,000 births#13 of 191 · 2024 | 32.8 per 1,000 births#40 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsMyanmar: 2.38× the doctors per person | 0.32 per 1,000#136 of 178 · 2023 | 0.76 per 1,000#113 of 178 · 2019 |
| University enrolment | 10.9%#128 of 145 · 2020 | — |
| Human Development IndexMyanmar: 0.113 higher | 0.496#178 of 190 · 2023 | 0.609#147 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaMyanmar: 3.38× the income per person | $390#184 of 185 · 2024 | $1,320#161 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPMyanmar: 4.59× the economy | $17.78B2024 | $81.67B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Myanmar: 2.69× the output per person | $2,236#174 of 184 · 2024 | $6,012#146 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthAfghanistan: 3.9 points higher | +1.9%#134 of 187 · 2024 | −2.0%#182 of 187 · 2025 |
| Inflation | −6.6%#176 of 176 · 2024 | — |
| UnemploymentAfghanistan: 4.47× the unemployment | 13.4%#20 of 178 · 2025 | 3.0%#138 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 10.3%#44 of 149 · 2017 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 30.7#112 of 149 · 2017 |
| Jobs in agricultureAfghanistan: 6.6 points higher | 51.6% of jobs#23 of 178 · 2025 | 45.0% of jobs#30 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryAfghanistan: 0.7 points higher | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 | 18.2% of jobs#102 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesMyanmar: 7.4 points higher | 29.5% of jobs#165 of 178 · 2025 | 36.9% of jobs#153 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMyanmar: 1.2 points higher | 0.1% of GDP#158 of 184 · 2021 | 1.3% of GDP#117 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | 15.7% of GDP#146 of 168 · 2024 | — |
| Military spendingMyanmar: 3.61× the military spending | 1.8% of GDP#75 of 155 · 2021 | 6.6% of GDP#5 of 155 · 2024 |
| Internet usersMyanmar: 2.82× the share online | 16%#178 of 184 · 2024 | 45%#150 of 184 · 2020 |
| Mobile subscriptionsMyanmar: 1.9× the mobile subscriptions | 60 per 100#176 of 191 · 2024 | 114 per 100#99 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaMyanmar: 22.1× the forest share | 2% of land#172 of 192 · 2024 | 42% of land#62 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personMyanmar: 2.07× the CO₂ per person | 0.28 t a year#164 of 185 · 2024 | 0.58 t a year#145 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMyanmar: 42.9 points higher | 20.0%#107 of 190 · 2022 | 62.9%#33 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityAfghanistan: 7.4 points higher | 87.8%#143 of 192 · 2024 | 80.4%#147 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Afghanistan: 1.08× the air pollution | 37.9 µg/m³#26 of 191 · 2023 | 35.1 µg/m³#34 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landMyanmar: 3.1 points higher | 3.6% of land#174 of 191 · 2025 | 6.7% of land#162 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landMyanmar: 4.9 points higher | 12.0% of land#84 of 190 · 2024 | 16.9% of land#63 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressAfghanistan: 9.45× the water stress | 54.8%#33 of 176 · 2022 | 5.8%#113 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMyanmar: 6.39× the rain and snow | 327 mm#152 of 180 · 2022 | 2,091 mm#27 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityAfghanistan: 0.08 higher | −2.04#186 of 193 · 2025 | −2.12#188 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionThe same | −1.31#173 of 193 · 2025 | −1.31#173 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateAfghanistan: 1.54× the homicide rate | 4.0 per 100,000#57 of 146 · 2021 | 2.6 per 100,000#64 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Theocracytheocratic; the United States does not recognize the Taliban Government | Military or transitionalmilitary regime |
| Member of | — | ASEAN |
| Capital | Kabul | Naypyidaw |
| Currency | Afghani (AFN) | Kyat (MMK) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Pashto, Uzbek, Turkmen, Dari, Balochi, Nuristani, Pamir, Pashayi | Burmese |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+4:30 | UTC+6:30 |
| Calling code | +93 | +95 |
| Region | Southern Asia, Asia | South-Eastern 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; Myanmar at 21° N is stretched to 1.15×. 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 Myanmar?
- No. Afghanistan is 4% smaller than Myanmar. Afghanistan covers 652,230 km² and Myanmar covers 676,577 km².
- How many times does Afghanistan fit into Myanmar?
- About 1.0 times: Myanmar has 1.04× the area of Afghanistan.
- Why do Afghanistan and Myanmar 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 Myanmar about 1.15×. 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 Myanmar?
- Myanmar: 54,850,648 people against 43,844,111. Density: Afghanistan 67 per km², Myanmar 81 per km².
- Which is richer, Afghanistan or Myanmar?
- By gross national income per person, Myanmar: $1,320 against $390 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2024) — 3.38× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Afghanistan or Myanmar?
- In Myanmar: life expectancy at birth is 67.1 years, against 66.3 — 0.8 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Afghanistan and Myanmar have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Afghanistan: theocracy; Myanmar: military or transitional.