Afghanistan vs Uzbekistan
Afghanistan is 45% larger than Uzbekistan.
AfghanistanUzbekistanAfghanistan moved onto Uzbekistan · Equal-area projection
1.45×
Afghanistan is 1.45× the area of Uzbekistan.
 Afghanistan |  Uzbekistan | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAfghanistan: 1.45× the area | 652,230 km²#40 of 194 | 448,978 km²#55 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationAfghanistan: 1.18× the population | 43,844,111#36 of 194 · 2025 | 37,053,428#42 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityUzbekistan: 1.23× the density | 67 / km²#119 of 194 | 83 / km²#100 of 194 |
| Urban populationUzbekistan: 1.97× the urban share | 26%#179 of 192 · 2025 | 51%#130 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAfghanistan: 1.36× the births per woman | 4.76 per woman#9 of 192 · 2024 | 3.49 per woman#45 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthAfghanistan: 0.89 points higher | +2.77%#19 of 192 · 2025 | +1.88%#52 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAfghanistan: 1.37× the birth rate | 35.0 per 1,000#9 of 192 · 2024 | 25.6 per 1,000#47 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateUzbekistan: 1.05× the death rate | 5.7 per 1,000#148 of 192 · 2024 | 6.0 per 1,000#140 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Afghanistan: 11.3 points higher | 42.6%#11 of 192 · 2025 | 31.3%#63 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Uzbekistan: 3.7 points higher | 2.4%#185 of 192 · 2025 | 6.1%#112 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationUzbekistan: 1.5 per 1,000 higher | −1.7 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2025 | −0.2 per 1,000#84 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadAfghanistan: 435× the refugees for its size | 60.93 per 1,000#6 of 190 · 2025 | 0.14 per 1,000#111 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyUzbekistan: 6.2 years longer | 66.3 years#158 of 192 · 2024 | 72.5 years#109 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityAfghanistan: 3.77× the infant mortality | 48.3 per 1,000 births#13 of 191 · 2024 | 12.8 per 1,000 births#94 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsUzbekistan: 8.78× the doctors per person | 0.32 per 1,000#136 of 178 · 2023 | 2.81 per 1,000#66 of 178 · 2021 |
| University enrolmentUzbekistan: 5.49× the university enrolment | 10.9%#128 of 145 · 2020 | 59.8%#57 of 145 · 2025 |
| Human Development IndexUzbekistan: 0.244 higher | 0.496#178 of 190 · 2023 | 0.740#106 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaUzbekistan: 9.41× the income per person | $390#184 of 185 · 2024 | $3,670#130 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPUzbekistan: 8.27× the economy | $17.78B2024 | $147.04B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Uzbekistan: 6.08× the output per person | $2,236#174 of 184 · 2024 | $13,601#114 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthUzbekistan: 5.8 points higher | +1.9%#134 of 187 · 2024 | +7.7%#13 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationUzbekistan: 15.4 points higher | −6.6%#176 of 176 · 2024 | +8.8%#23 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentAfghanistan: 2.91× the unemployment | 13.4%#20 of 178 · 2025 | 4.6%#102 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 2.3%#70 of 149 · 2025 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 32.7#98 of 149 · 2025 |
| Jobs in agricultureAfghanistan: 26.4 points higher | 51.6% of jobs#23 of 178 · 2025 | 25.2% of jobs#72 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryUzbekistan: 5.7 points higher | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 | 24.6% of jobs#44 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesUzbekistan: 20.7 points higher | 29.5% of jobs#165 of 178 · 2025 | 50.2% of jobs#116 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentUzbekistan: 2.9 points higher | 0.1% of GDP#158 of 184 · 2021 | 3.0% of GDP#65 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsUzbekistan: 6.3 points higher | 15.7% of GDP#146 of 168 · 2024 | 22.0% of GDP#126 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | 1.8% of GDP#75 of 155 · 2021 | — |
| Internet usersUzbekistan: 5.56× the share online | 16%#178 of 184 · 2024 | 90%#59 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsUzbekistan: 1.83× the mobile subscriptions | 60 per 100#176 of 191 · 2024 | 110 per 100#109 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaUzbekistan: 4.63× the forest share | 2% of land#172 of 192 · 2024 | 9% of land#157 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personUzbekistan: 14.6× the CO₂ per person | 0.28 t a year#164 of 185 · 2024 | 4.09 t a year#58 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyAfghanistan: 19.0 points higher | 20.0%#107 of 190 · 2022 | 1.0%#177 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityUzbekistan: 12.2 points higher | 87.8%#143 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Afghanistan: 1.16× the air pollution | 37.9 µg/m³#26 of 191 · 2023 | 32.8 µg/m³#39 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landUzbekistan: 10.5 points higher | 3.6% of land#174 of 191 · 2025 | 14.1% of land#122 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landAfghanistan: 2.8 points higher | 12.0% of land#84 of 190 · 2024 | 9.2% of land#106 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressUzbekistan: 2.24× the water stress | 54.8%#33 of 176 · 2022 | 123.0%#13 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationAfghanistan: 1.59× the rain and snow | 327 mm#152 of 180 · 2022 | 206 mm#166 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityUzbekistan: 2.14 higher | −2.04#186 of 193 · 2025 | +0.10#97 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionUzbekistan: 0.62 higher | −1.31#173 of 193 · 2025 | −0.69#131 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateAfghanistan: 2.86× the homicide rate | 4.0 per 100,000#57 of 146 · 2021 | 1.4 per 100,000#90 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Theocracytheocratic; the United States does not recognize the Taliban Government | Presidential republicpresidential republic; highly authoritarian |
| Capital | Kabul | Tashkent |
| Currency | Afghani (AFN) | Uzbek som (UZS) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Pashto, Uzbek, Turkmen, Dari, Balochi, Nuristani, Pamir, Pashayi | Uzbek |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+4:30 | UTC+5 |
| Calling code | +93 | +998 |
| 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; Uzbekistan at 42° N is stretched to 1.8×. 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 Uzbekistan?
- Yes. Afghanistan is 45% larger than Uzbekistan. Afghanistan covers 652,230 km² and Uzbekistan covers 448,978 km².
- How many times does Uzbekistan fit into Afghanistan?
- About 1.5 times: Afghanistan has 1.45× the area of Uzbekistan.
- Why do Afghanistan and Uzbekistan 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 Uzbekistan about 1.8×. 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 Uzbekistan?
- Afghanistan: 43,844,111 people against 37,053,428. Density: Afghanistan 67 per km², Uzbekistan 83 per km².
- Which is richer, Afghanistan or Uzbekistan?
- By gross national income per person, Uzbekistan: $3,670 against $390 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2024) — 9.41× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Afghanistan or Uzbekistan?
- In Uzbekistan: life expectancy at birth is 72.5 years, against 66.3 — 6.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Afghanistan and Uzbekistan have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Afghanistan: theocracy; Uzbekistan: presidential republic.