Afghanistan vs Pakistan
Pakistan is 35% larger than Afghanistan.
AfghanistanPakistanAfghanistan moved onto Pakistan · Equal-area projection
0.74×
Afghanistan is 0.74× the area of Pakistan. Put the other way, Pakistan is 1.35× the size of Afghanistan.
 Afghanistan |  Pakistan | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaPakistan: 1.35× the area | 652,230 km²#40 of 194 | 881,913 km²#33 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationPakistan: 5.82× the population | 43,844,111#36 of 194 · 2025 | 255,219,554#5 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityPakistan: 4.31× the density | 67 / km²#119 of 194 | 289 / km²#30 of 194 |
| Urban populationPakistan: 1.53× the urban share | 26%#179 of 192 · 2025 | 40%#150 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAfghanistan: 1.34× the births per woman | 4.76 per woman#9 of 192 · 2024 | 3.55 per woman#43 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthAfghanistan: 1.21 points higher | +2.77%#19 of 192 · 2025 | +1.56%#64 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAfghanistan: 1.28× the birth rate | 35.0 per 1,000#9 of 192 · 2024 | 27.4 per 1,000#41 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death ratePakistan: 1.12× the death rate | 5.7 per 1,000#148 of 192 · 2024 | 6.4 per 1,000#125 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Afghanistan: 6.4 points higher | 42.6%#11 of 192 · 2025 | 36.2%#46 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Pakistan: 2.0 points higher | 2.4%#185 of 192 · 2025 | 4.4%#134 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationAfghanistan: 3.1 per 1,000 higher | −1.7 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2025 | −4.8 per 1,000#173 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadAfghanistan: 174× the refugees for its size | 60.93 per 1,000#6 of 190 · 2025 | 0.35 per 1,000#84 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyPakistan: 1.5 years longer | 66.3 years#158 of 192 · 2024 | 67.8 years#145 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityAbout the same infant mortality | 48.3 per 1,000 births#13 of 191 · 2024 | 48.2 per 1,000 births#14 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsPakistan: 3.62× the doctors per person | 0.32 per 1,000#136 of 178 · 2023 | 1.16 per 1,000#102 of 178 · 2021 |
| University enrolmentAbout the same university enrolment | 10.9%#128 of 145 · 2020 | 10.9%#128 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexPakistan: 0.048 higher | 0.496#178 of 190 · 2023 | 0.544#165 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaPakistan: 3.85× the income per person | $390#184 of 185 · 2024 | $1,500#158 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPPakistan: 22.9× the economy | $17.78B2024 | $407.31B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Pakistan: 2.94× the output per person | $2,236#174 of 184 · 2024 | $6,573#142 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthPakistan: 1.8 points higher | +1.9%#134 of 187 · 2024 | +3.7%#81 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationPakistan: 10.1 points higher | −6.6%#176 of 176 · 2024 | +3.5%#75 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentAfghanistan: 2.48× the unemployment | 13.4%#20 of 178 · 2025 | 5.4%#80 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 23.0%#31 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 33.5#87 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureAfghanistan: 15.4 points higher | 51.6% of jobs#23 of 178 · 2025 | 36.2% of jobs#45 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryPakistan: 6.4 points higher | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 | 25.3% of jobs#41 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesPakistan: 9.0 points higher | 29.5% of jobs#165 of 178 · 2025 | 38.5% of jobs#149 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentPakistan: 0.4 points higher | 0.1% of GDP#158 of 184 · 2021 | 0.5% of GDP#144 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsAfghanistan: 5.7 points higher | 15.7% of GDP#146 of 168 · 2024 | 10.0% of GDP#162 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingPakistan: 1.59× the military spending | 1.8% of GDP#75 of 155 · 2021 | 2.9% of GDP#34 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersPakistan: 3.56× the share online | 16%#178 of 184 · 2024 | 57%#139 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsPakistan: 1.28× the mobile subscriptions | 60 per 100#176 of 191 · 2024 | 77 per 100#151 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaPakistan: 2.16× the forest share | 2% of land#172 of 192 · 2024 | 4% of land#168 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personPakistan: 2.89× the CO₂ per person | 0.28 t a year#164 of 185 · 2024 | 0.81 t a year#135 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyPakistan: 21.6 points higher | 20.0%#107 of 190 · 2022 | 41.6%#59 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityPakistan: 7.9 points higher | 87.8%#143 of 192 · 2024 | 95.7%#128 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Pakistan: 1.54× the air pollution | 37.9 µg/m³#26 of 191 · 2023 | 58.4 µg/m³#7 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landPakistan: 15.5 points higher | 3.6% of land#174 of 191 · 2025 | 19.1% of land#86 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landPakistan: 27.8 points higher | 12.0% of land#84 of 190 · 2024 | 39.8% of land#14 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressPakistan: 2.01× the water stress | 54.8%#33 of 176 · 2022 | 110.0%#16 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationPakistan: 1.51× the rain and snow | 327 mm#152 of 180 · 2022 | 494 mm#144 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityPakistan: 0.09 higher | −2.04#186 of 193 · 2025 | −1.95#185 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionPakistan: 0.24 higher | −1.31#173 of 193 · 2025 | −1.07#158 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide ratePakistan: 1.07× the homicide rate | 4.0 per 100,000#57 of 146 · 2021 | 4.3 per 100,000#54 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Theocracytheocratic; the United States does not recognize the Taliban Government | Parliamentary republicfederal parliamentary republic |
| Capital | Kabul | Islamabad |
| Currency | Afghani (AFN) | Pakistani rupee (PKR) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Pashto, Uzbek, Turkmen, Dari, Balochi, Nuristani, Pamir, Pashayi | English, Urdu |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+4:30 | UTC+5 |
| Calling code | +93 | +92 |
| 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; Pakistan at 30° N is stretched to 1.33×. 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 Pakistan?
- No. Afghanistan is 26% smaller than Pakistan. Afghanistan covers 652,230 km² and Pakistan covers 881,913 km².
- How many times does Afghanistan fit into Pakistan?
- About 1.4 times: Pakistan has 1.35× the area of Afghanistan.
- Why do Afghanistan and Pakistan 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 Pakistan about 1.33×. 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 Pakistan?
- Pakistan: 255,219,554 people against 43,844,111. Density: Afghanistan 67 per km², Pakistan 289 per km².
- Which is richer, Afghanistan or Pakistan?
- By gross national income per person, Pakistan: $1,500 against $390 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2024) — 3.85× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Afghanistan or Pakistan?
- In Pakistan: life expectancy at birth is 67.8 years, against 66.3 — 1.5 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Afghanistan and Pakistan have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Afghanistan: theocracy; Pakistan: parliamentary republic.