Afghanistan vs United States
United States is 15.1 times larger than Afghanistan. Afghanistan would fit into United States about 15 times.
AfghanistanUnited StatesAfghanistan moved onto United States · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.07×
Afghanistan is 0.07× the area of United States. Put the other way, United States is 15.1× the size of Afghanistan.
 Afghanistan |  United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaUnited States: 15.1× the area | 652,230 km²#40 of 194 | 9,826,675 km²#3 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationUnited States: 7.8× the population | 43,844,111#36 of 194 · 2025 | 341,784,857#3 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityAfghanistan: 1.93× the density | 67 / km²#119 of 194 | 35 / km²#145 of 194 |
| Urban populationUnited States: 3.1× the urban share | 26%#179 of 192 · 2025 | 80%#41 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAfghanistan: 2.92× the births per woman | 4.76 per woman#9 of 192 · 2024 | 1.63 per woman#121 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthAfghanistan: 2.25 points higher | +2.77%#19 of 192 · 2025 | +0.52%#125 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAfghanistan: 3.3× the birth rate | 35.0 per 1,000#9 of 192 · 2024 | 10.6 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateUnited States: 1.58× the death rate | 5.7 per 1,000#148 of 192 · 2024 | 9.0 per 1,000#52 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Afghanistan: 25.5 points higher | 42.6%#11 of 192 · 2025 | 17.1%#140 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65United States: 16.0 points higher | 2.4%#185 of 192 · 2025 | 18.4%#38 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationUnited States: 5.3 per 1,000 higher | −1.7 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2025 | +3.6 per 1,000#26 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadAfghanistan: 6,093× the refugees for its size | 60.93 per 1,000#6 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyUnited States: 12.6 years longer | 66.3 years#158 of 192 · 2024 | 78.9 years#46 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityAfghanistan: 8.78× the infant mortality | 48.3 per 1,000 births#13 of 191 · 2024 | 5.5 per 1,000 births#139 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsUnited States: 11.5× the doctors per person | 0.32 per 1,000#136 of 178 · 2023 | 3.68 per 1,000#39 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentUnited States: 7.28× the university enrolment | 10.9%#128 of 145 · 2020 | 79.4%#27 of 145 · 2022 |
| Human Development IndexUnited States: 0.442 higher | 0.496#178 of 190 · 2023 | 0.938#16 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaUnited States: 228× the income per person | $390#184 of 185 · 2024 | $88,810#5 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPUnited States: 1,731× the economy | $17.78B2024 | $30.77T2025 |
| Income group | Low income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)United States: 40.3× the output per person | $2,236#174 of 184 · 2024 | $90,027#9 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthUnited States: 0.3 points higher | +1.9%#134 of 187 · 2024 | +2.2%#126 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationUnited States: 9.5 points higher | −6.6%#176 of 176 · 2024 | +2.9%#92 of 176 · 2024 |
| UnemploymentAfghanistan: 3.19× the unemployment | 13.4%#20 of 178 · 2025 | 4.2%#110 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 1.1%#82 of 149 · 2024 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 41.8#30 of 149 · 2024 |
| Jobs in agricultureAfghanistan: 50.1 points higher | 51.6% of jobs#23 of 178 · 2025 | 1.5% of jobs#164 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryThe same | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesUnited States: 50.1 points higher | 29.5% of jobs#165 of 178 · 2025 | 79.6% of jobs#16 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentUnited States: 0.9 points higher | 0.1% of GDP#158 of 184 · 2021 | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsAfghanistan: 4.7 points higher | 15.7% of GDP#146 of 168 · 2024 | 11.0% of GDP#159 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingUnited States: 1.7× the military spending | 1.8% of GDP#75 of 155 · 2021 | 3.1% of GDP#27 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersUnited States: 5.88× the share online | 16%#178 of 184 · 2024 | 95%#27 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsUnited States: 1.88× the mobile subscriptions | 60 per 100#176 of 191 · 2024 | 113 per 100#102 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaUnited States: 17.8× the forest share | 2% of land#172 of 192 · 2024 | 34% of land#92 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personUnited States: 48.6× the CO₂ per person | 0.28 t a year#164 of 185 · 2024 | 13.6 t a year#13 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyAfghanistan: 9.1 points higher | 20.0%#107 of 190 · 2022 | 10.9%#139 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityUnited States: 12.2 points higher | 87.8%#143 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Afghanistan: 5.41× the air pollution | 37.9 µg/m³#26 of 191 · 2023 | 7.0 µg/m³#173 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landUnited States: 9.3 points higher | 3.6% of land#174 of 191 · 2025 | 12.9% of land#131 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landUnited States: 4.6 points higher | 12.0% of land#84 of 190 · 2024 | 16.6% of land#64 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressAfghanistan: 1.94× the water stress | 54.8%#33 of 176 · 2022 | 28.2%#57 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationUnited States: 2.19× the rain and snow | 327 mm#152 of 180 · 2022 | 715 mm#111 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityUnited States: 1.74 higher | −2.04#186 of 193 · 2025 | −0.30#122 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionUnited States: 2.18 higher | −1.31#173 of 193 · 2025 | +0.87#39 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateUnited States: 1.45× the homicide rate | 4.0 per 100,000#57 of 146 · 2021 | 5.8 per 100,000#46 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Theocracytheocratic; the United States does not recognize the Taliban Government | Presidential republicconstitutional federal republic |
| Member of | — | NATO, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Kabul | Washington D.C. |
| Currency | Afghani (AFN) | United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Pashto, Uzbek, Turkmen, Dari, Balochi, Nuristani, Pamir, Pashayi | English |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+4:30 | UTC−5, summer time UTC−4 · UTC−10 to UTC−5, 6 time zones |
| Calling code | +93 | +1 |
| Region | Southern Asia, Asia | Northern America, North America |
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; United States at 45° N is stretched to 1.98×. That difference is why United States 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 United States?
- No. Afghanistan is 15.1 times smaller than United States. Afghanistan covers 652,230 km² and United States covers 9,826,675 km².
- How many times does Afghanistan fit into United States?
- About 15 times: United States has 15.1× the area of Afghanistan.
- Why do Afghanistan and United States 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 United States about 1.98×. That is why United States 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 United States?
- United States: 341,784,857 people against 43,844,111. Density: Afghanistan 67 per km², United States 35 per km².
- Which is richer, Afghanistan or United States?
- By gross national income per person, United States: $88,810 against $390 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2024) — 228× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Afghanistan or United States?
- In United States: life expectancy at birth is 78.9 years, against 66.3 — 12.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Afghanistan and United States have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Afghanistan: theocracy; United States: presidential republic.