Afghanistan vs Tajikistan
Afghanistan is 4.56 times larger than Tajikistan. Tajikistan would fit into Afghanistan about 4.6 times.
AfghanistanTajikistanAfghanistan moved onto Tajikistan · Equal-area projection
4.56×
Afghanistan is 4.56× the area of Tajikistan.
 Afghanistan |  Tajikistan | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAfghanistan: 4.56× the area | 652,230 km²#40 of 194 | 143,100 km²#94 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationAfghanistan: 4.06× the population | 43,844,111#36 of 194 · 2025 | 10,786,734#91 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityTajikistan: 1.12× the density | 67 / km²#119 of 194 | 75 / km²#110 of 194 |
| Urban populationAbout the same urban share | 26%#179 of 192 · 2025 | 26%#178 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAfghanistan: 1.57× the births per woman | 4.76 per woman#9 of 192 · 2024 | 3.04 per woman#54 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthAfghanistan: 0.94 points higher | +2.77%#19 of 192 · 2025 | +1.83%#55 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAfghanistan: 1.38× the birth rate | 35.0 per 1,000#9 of 192 · 2024 | 25.3 per 1,000#49 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateAfghanistan: 1.24× the death rate | 5.7 per 1,000#148 of 192 · 2024 | 4.6 per 1,000#179 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Afghanistan: 6.7 points higher | 42.6%#11 of 192 · 2025 | 35.9%#49 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Tajikistan: 1.7 points higher | 2.4%#185 of 192 · 2025 | 4.1%#139 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationAfghanistan: 0.3 per 1,000 higher | −1.7 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2025 | −2.0 per 1,000#144 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadAfghanistan: 156× the refugees for its size | 60.93 per 1,000#6 of 190 · 2025 | 0.39 per 1,000#80 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyTajikistan: 5.6 years longer | 66.3 years#158 of 192 · 2024 | 71.9 years#116 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityAfghanistan: 2.06× the infant mortality | 48.3 per 1,000 births#13 of 191 · 2024 | 23.5 per 1,000 births#59 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsTajikistan: 5.84× the doctors per person | 0.32 per 1,000#136 of 178 · 2023 | 1.87 per 1,000#86 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolmentTajikistan: 3.27× the university enrolment | 10.9%#128 of 145 · 2020 | 35.6%#98 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexTajikistan: 0.195 higher | 0.496#178 of 190 · 2023 | 0.691#127 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaTajikistan: 5.33× the income per person | $390#184 of 185 · 2024 | $2,080#148 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPAbout the same economy | $17.78B2024 | $17.66B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Tajikistan: 2.65× the output per person | $2,236#174 of 184 · 2024 | $5,923#147 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthTajikistan: 6.5 points higher | +1.9%#134 of 187 · 2024 | +8.4%#8 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationTajikistan: 10.0 points higher | −6.6%#176 of 176 · 2024 | +3.4%#78 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentAfghanistan: 1.94× the unemployment | 13.4%#20 of 178 · 2025 | 6.9%#58 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 6.1%#50 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 36.1#61 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureAfghanistan: 8.3 points higher | 51.6% of jobs#23 of 178 · 2025 | 43.3% of jobs#34 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryAfghanistan: 1.2 points higher | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 | 17.7% of jobs#110 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesTajikistan: 9.6 points higher | 29.5% of jobs#165 of 178 · 2025 | 39.1% of jobs#148 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentTajikistan: 0.4 points higher | 0.1% of GDP#158 of 184 · 2021 | 0.5% of GDP#144 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsAfghanistan: 4.5 points higher | 15.7% of GDP#146 of 168 · 2024 | 11.2% of GDP#157 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingAfghanistan: 1.24× the military spending | 1.8% of GDP#75 of 155 · 2021 | 1.5% of GDP#88 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersTajikistan: 3.47× the share online | 16%#178 of 184 · 2024 | 56%#140 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsTajikistan: 1.27× the mobile subscriptions | 60 per 100#176 of 191 · 2024 | 76 per 100#152 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaTajikistan: 1.63× the forest share | 2% of land#172 of 192 · 2024 | 3% of land#169 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personTajikistan: 3.29× the CO₂ per person | 0.28 t a year#164 of 185 · 2024 | 0.92 t a year#131 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyTajikistan: 14.9 points higher | 20.0%#107 of 190 · 2022 | 34.9%#69 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityTajikistan: 12.1 points higher | 87.8%#143 of 192 · 2024 | 99.9%#100 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Afghanistan: 1.14× the air pollution | 37.9 µg/m³#26 of 191 · 2023 | 33.3 µg/m³#37 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landTajikistan: 19.0 points higher | 3.6% of land#174 of 191 · 2025 | 22.6% of land#64 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landAfghanistan: 5.9 points higher | 12.0% of land#84 of 190 · 2024 | 6.1% of land#122 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressTajikistan: 1.28× the water stress | 54.8%#33 of 176 · 2022 | 69.9%#25 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationTajikistan: 2.11× the rain and snow | 327 mm#152 of 180 · 2022 | 691 mm#114 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityTajikistan: 1.74 higher | −2.04#186 of 193 · 2025 | −0.30#122 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionTajikistan: 0.06 higher | −1.31#173 of 193 · 2025 | −1.25#168 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateAfghanistan: 4.44× the homicide rate | 4.0 per 100,000#57 of 146 · 2021 | 0.9 per 100,000#110 of 146 · 2020 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Theocracytheocratic; the United States does not recognize the Taliban Government | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Kabul | Dushanbe |
| Currency | Afghani (AFN) | Tajikistani somoni (TJS) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Pashto, Uzbek, Turkmen, Dari, Balochi, Nuristani, Pamir, Pashayi | Tajik, Russian |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+4:30 | UTC+5 |
| Calling code | +93 | +992 |
| Region | Southern Asia, Asia | Central 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; Tajikistan at 39° N is stretched to 1.63×. 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 Tajikistan?
- Yes. Afghanistan is 4.56 times larger than Tajikistan. Afghanistan covers 652,230 km² and Tajikistan covers 143,100 km².
- How many times does Tajikistan fit into Afghanistan?
- About 4.6 times: Afghanistan has 4.56× the area of Tajikistan.
- Why do Afghanistan and Tajikistan 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 Tajikistan about 1.63×. 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 Tajikistan?
- Afghanistan: 43,844,111 people against 10,786,734. Density: Afghanistan 67 per km², Tajikistan 75 per km².
- Which is richer, Afghanistan or Tajikistan?
- By gross national income per person, Tajikistan: $2,080 against $390 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2024) — 5.33× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Afghanistan or Tajikistan?
- In Tajikistan: life expectancy at birth is 71.9 years, against 66.3 — 5.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Afghanistan and Tajikistan have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Afghanistan: theocracy; Tajikistan: presidential republic.