Afghanistan vs Ukraine
Afghanistan is 8% larger than Ukraine.
AfghanistanUkraineAfghanistan moved onto Ukraine · Equal-area projection
1.08×
Afghanistan is 1.08× the area of Ukraine.
 Afghanistan |  Ukraine | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAfghanistan: 1.08× the area | 652,230 km²#40 of 194 | 603,550 km²#45 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationAfghanistan: 1.12× the population | 43,844,111#36 of 194 · 2025 | 38,980,376#40 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityAfghanistan: 1.04× the density | 67 / km²#119 of 194 | 65 / km²#121 of 194 |
| Urban populationUkraine: 2.69× the urban share | 26%#179 of 192 · 2025 | 70%#77 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAfghanistan: 4.81× the births per woman | 4.76 per woman#9 of 192 · 2024 | 0.99 per woman#190 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthUkraine: 0.15 points higher | +2.77%#19 of 192 · 2025 | +2.92%#13 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAfghanistan: 6.36× the birth rate | 35.0 per 1,000#9 of 192 · 2024 | 5.5 per 1,000#190 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateUkraine: 2.39× the death rate | 5.7 per 1,000#148 of 192 · 2024 | 13.6 per 1,000#6 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Afghanistan: 28.9 points higher | 42.6%#11 of 192 · 2025 | 13.7%#180 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Ukraine: 16.6 points higher | 2.4%#185 of 192 · 2025 | 19.0%#35 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationUkraine: 45.4 per 1,000 higher | −1.7 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2025 | +43.7 per 1,000#1 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadUkraine: 2.2× the refugees for its size | 60.93 per 1,000#6 of 190 · 2025 | 134.02 per 1,000#4 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyUkraine: 8.4 years longer | 66.3 years#158 of 192 · 2024 | 74.7 years#87 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityAfghanistan: 6.36× the infant mortality | 48.3 per 1,000 births#13 of 191 · 2024 | 7.6 per 1,000 births#128 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsUkraine: 11× the doctors per person | 0.32 per 1,000#136 of 178 · 2023 | 3.53 per 1,000#45 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolmentUkraine: 8.0× the university enrolment | 10.9%#128 of 145 · 2020 | 87.2%#14 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexUkraine: 0.283 higher | 0.496#178 of 190 · 2023 | 0.779#86 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaUkraine: 14.1× the income per person | $390#184 of 185 · 2024 | $5,510#110 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPUkraine: 12× the economy | $17.78B2024 | $214.23B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Ukraine: 8.45× the output per person | $2,236#174 of 184 · 2024 | $18,905#97 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthAfghanistan: 0.1 points higher | +1.9%#134 of 187 · 2024 | +1.8%#137 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationUkraine: 19.3 points higher | −6.6%#176 of 176 · 2024 | +12.7%#18 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentAfghanistan: 1.37× the unemployment | 13.4%#20 of 178 · 2025 | 9.8%#35 of 178 · 2021 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 0.0%#136 of 149 · 2020 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 25.6#144 of 149 · 2020 |
| Jobs in agricultureAfghanistan: 37.5 points higher | 51.6% of jobs#23 of 178 · 2025 | 14.1% of jobs#96 of 178 · 2021 |
| Jobs in industryUkraine: 6.3 points higher | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 | 25.2% of jobs#42 of 178 · 2021 |
| Jobs in servicesUkraine: 31.2 points higher | 29.5% of jobs#165 of 178 · 2025 | 60.7% of jobs#82 of 178 · 2021 |
| Foreign investmentUkraine: 0.7 points higher | 0.1% of GDP#158 of 184 · 2021 | 0.8% of GDP#137 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsUkraine: 9.6 points higher | 15.7% of GDP#146 of 168 · 2024 | 25.3% of GDP#113 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingUkraine: 18.8× the military spending | 1.8% of GDP#75 of 155 · 2021 | 34.5% of GDP#1 of 155 · 2024 |
| Internet usersUkraine: 5.12× the share online | 16%#178 of 184 · 2024 | 83%#88 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsUkraine: 2.22× the mobile subscriptions | 60 per 100#176 of 191 · 2024 | 133 per 100#45 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaUkraine: 9.11× the forest share | 2% of land#172 of 192 · 2024 | 17% of land#128 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personUkraine: 11.2× the CO₂ per person | 0.28 t a year#164 of 185 · 2024 | 3.13 t a year#82 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyAfghanistan: 11.1 points higher | 20.0%#107 of 190 · 2022 | 8.9%#147 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityUkraine: 12.2 points higher | 87.8%#143 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Afghanistan: 2.54× the air pollution | 37.9 µg/m³#26 of 191 · 2023 | 14.9 µg/m³#119 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landUkraine: 13.5 points higher | 3.6% of land#174 of 191 · 2025 | 17.1% of land#98 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landUkraine: 44.8 points higher | 12.0% of land#84 of 190 · 2024 | 56.8% of land#3 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressAfghanistan: 8.7× the water stress | 54.8%#33 of 176 · 2022 | 6.3%#109 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationUkraine: 1.73× the rain and snow | 327 mm#152 of 180 · 2022 | 565 mm#135 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityUkraine: 1.71 higher | −2.04#186 of 193 · 2025 | −0.33#126 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionUkraine: 0.62 higher | −1.31#173 of 193 · 2025 | −0.69#131 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateAfghanistan: 1.05× the homicide rate | 4.0 per 100,000#57 of 146 · 2021 | 3.8 per 100,000#58 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Theocracytheocratic; the United States does not recognize the Taliban Government | Semi-presidential republic |
| Capital | Kabul | Kiev |
| Currency | Afghani (AFN) | Ukrainian hryvnia (UAH) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Pashto, Uzbek, Turkmen, Dari, Balochi, Nuristani, Pamir, Pashayi | Ukrainian |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+4:30 | UTC+2, summer time UTC+3 · UTC+2 to UTC+3, 2 time zones |
| Calling code | +93 | +380 |
| Region | Southern Asia, Asia | Eastern Europe, Europe |
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; Ukraine at 49° N is stretched to 2.34×. That difference is why Ukraine 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 Ukraine?
- Yes. Afghanistan is 8% larger than Ukraine. Afghanistan covers 652,230 km² and Ukraine covers 603,550 km².
- How many times does Ukraine fit into Afghanistan?
- About 1.1 times: Afghanistan has 1.08× the area of Ukraine.
- Why do Afghanistan and Ukraine 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 Ukraine about 2.34×. That is why Ukraine 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 Ukraine?
- Afghanistan: 43,844,111 people against 38,980,376. Density: Afghanistan 67 per km², Ukraine 65 per km².
- Which is richer, Afghanistan or Ukraine?
- By gross national income per person, Ukraine: $5,510 against $390 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2024) — 14.1× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Afghanistan or Ukraine?
- In Ukraine: life expectancy at birth is 74.7 years, against 66.3 — 8.4 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Afghanistan and Ukraine have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Afghanistan: theocracy; Ukraine: semi-presidential republic.