Afghanistan vs Sweden

Afghanistan is 46% larger than Sweden.

AfghanistanSwedenAfghanistan moved onto Sweden · Equal-area projection
1.46×
Afghanistan is 1.46× the area of Sweden.
AfghanistanSweden
Area652,230 km²447,425 km²
Population43,844,11110,596,620
Density67 / km²24 / km²
CapitalKabulStockholm
RegionSouthern AsiaNorthern Europe
CoastlineLandlockedHas a coast
Neighbours62

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; Sweden at 62° N is stretched to 4.65×. That difference is why Sweden looks so much bigger than it is next to Afghanistan. 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 Sweden?
Yes. Afghanistan is 46% larger than Sweden. Afghanistan covers 652,230 km² and Sweden covers 447,425 km².
How many times does Sweden fit into Afghanistan?
About 1.5 times: Afghanistan has 1.46× the area of Sweden.
Why do Afghanistan and Sweden 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 Sweden about 4.65×. That is why Sweden looks so much bigger than it really is next to Afghanistan. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Which has more people, Afghanistan or Sweden?
Afghanistan: 43,844,111 people against 10,596,620. Density: Afghanistan 67 per km², Sweden 24 per km².