Afghanistan vs Turkmenistan
Afghanistan is 33% larger than Turkmenistan.
AfghanistanTurkmenistanAfghanistan moved onto Turkmenistan · Equal-area projection
1.33×
Afghanistan is 1.33× the area of Turkmenistan.
 Afghanistan |  Turkmenistan | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAfghanistan: 1.33× the area | 652,230 km²#40 of 194 | 491,210 km²#51 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationAfghanistan: 5.75× the population | 43,844,111#36 of 194 · 2025 | 7,618,847#104 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityAfghanistan: 4.33× the density | 67 / km²#119 of 194 | 16 / km²#178 of 194 |
| Urban populationTurkmenistan: 1.82× the urban share | 26%#179 of 192 · 2025 | 47%#133 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAfghanistan: 1.79× the births per woman | 4.76 per woman#9 of 192 · 2024 | 2.66 per woman#64 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthAfghanistan: 1.12 points higher | +2.77%#19 of 192 · 2025 | +1.65%#60 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAfghanistan: 1.67× the birth rate | 35.0 per 1,000#9 of 192 · 2024 | 20.9 per 1,000#64 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateAbout the same death rate | 5.7 per 1,000#148 of 192 · 2024 | 5.8 per 1,000#146 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Afghanistan: 11.4 points higher | 42.6%#11 of 192 · 2025 | 31.2%#64 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Turkmenistan: 2.4 points higher | 2.4%#185 of 192 · 2025 | 4.8%#127 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationTurkmenistan: 3.4 per 1,000 higher | −1.7 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2025 | +1.7 per 1,000#41 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadAfghanistan: 254× the refugees for its size | 60.93 per 1,000#6 of 190 · 2025 | 0.24 per 1,000#95 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyTurkmenistan: 3.9 years longer | 66.3 years#158 of 192 · 2024 | 70.2 years#130 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityAfghanistan: 1.59× the infant mortality | 48.3 per 1,000 births#13 of 191 · 2024 | 30.4 per 1,000 births#46 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsTurkmenistan: 6.03× the doctors per person | 0.32 per 1,000#136 of 178 · 2023 | 1.93 per 1,000#83 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolmentTurkmenistan: 1.87× the university enrolment | 10.9%#128 of 145 · 2020 | 20.4%#117 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexTurkmenistan: 0.268 higher | 0.496#178 of 190 · 2023 | 0.764#94 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaTurkmenistan: 16.3× the income per person | $390#184 of 185 · 2024 | $6,340#100 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPTurkmenistan: 2.8× the economy | $17.78B2024 | $49.83B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Turkmenistan: 10.1× the output per person | $2,236#174 of 184 · 2024 | $22,602#87 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthTurkmenistan: 4.4 points higher | +1.9%#134 of 187 · 2024 | +6.3%#26 of 187 · 2025 |
| Inflation | −6.6%#176 of 176 · 2024 | — |
| UnemploymentAfghanistan: 3.12× the unemployment | 13.4%#20 of 178 · 2025 | 4.3%#109 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in agricultureAfghanistan: 29.7 points higher | 51.6% of jobs#23 of 178 · 2025 | 21.9% of jobs#80 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryTurkmenistan: 9.7 points higher | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 | 28.6% of jobs#24 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesTurkmenistan: 20.0 points higher | 29.5% of jobs#165 of 178 · 2025 | 49.5% of jobs#122 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentTurkmenistan: 1.3 points higher | 0.1% of GDP#158 of 184 · 2021 | 1.4% of GDP#112 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsAfghanistan: 1.2 points higher | 15.7% of GDP#146 of 168 · 2024 | 14.5% of GDP#151 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | 1.8% of GDP#75 of 155 · 2021 | — |
| Internet users | 16%#178 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptionsTurkmenistan: 1.47× the mobile subscriptions | 60 per 100#176 of 191 · 2024 | 88 per 100#144 of 191 · 2021 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaTurkmenistan: 2.63× the forest share | 2% of land#172 of 192 · 2024 | 5% of land#164 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personTurkmenistan: 38.8× the CO₂ per person | 0.28 t a year#164 of 185 · 2024 | 10.9 t a year#16 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyAfghanistan: 19.9 points higher | 20.0%#107 of 190 · 2022 | 0.1%#183 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityTurkmenistan: 12.2 points higher | 87.8%#143 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Afghanistan: 1.21× the air pollution | 37.9 µg/m³#26 of 191 · 2023 | 31.2 µg/m³#45 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landTurkmenistan: 0.7 points higher | 3.6% of land#174 of 191 · 2025 | 4.3% of land#168 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landAfghanistan: 8.5 points higher | 12.0% of land#84 of 190 · 2024 | 3.5% of land#144 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressTurkmenistan: 2.47× the water stress | 54.8%#33 of 176 · 2022 | 135.2%#9 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationAfghanistan: 2.03× the rain and snow | 327 mm#152 of 180 · 2022 | 161 mm#168 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityTurkmenistan: 2.28 higher | −2.04#186 of 193 · 2025 | +0.24#83 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionThe same | −1.31#173 of 193 · 2025 | −1.31#173 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 | Presidential republicpresidential republic; authoritarian |
| Capital | Kabul | Ashgabat |
| Currency | Afghani (AFN) | Turkmenistan new manat (TMT) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Pashto, Uzbek, Turkmen, Dari, Balochi, Nuristani, Pamir, Pashayi | Turkmen |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+4:30 | UTC+5 |
| Calling code | +93 | +993 |
| 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; Turkmenistan at 39° N is stretched to 1.66×. 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 Turkmenistan?
- Yes. Afghanistan is 33% larger than Turkmenistan. Afghanistan covers 652,230 km² and Turkmenistan covers 491,210 km².
- How many times does Turkmenistan fit into Afghanistan?
- About 1.3 times: Afghanistan has 1.33× the area of Turkmenistan.
- Why do Afghanistan and Turkmenistan 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 Turkmenistan about 1.66×. 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 Turkmenistan?
- Afghanistan: 43,844,111 people against 7,618,847. Density: Afghanistan 67 per km², Turkmenistan 16 per km².
- Which is richer, Afghanistan or Turkmenistan?
- By gross national income per person, Turkmenistan: $6,340 against $390 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2024) — 16.3× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Afghanistan or Turkmenistan?
- In Turkmenistan: life expectancy at birth is 70.2 years, against 66.3 — 3.9 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Afghanistan and Turkmenistan have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Afghanistan: theocracy; Turkmenistan: presidential republic.