Afghanistan vs Zambia
Zambia is 15% larger than Afghanistan.
AfghanistanZambiaAfghanistan moved onto Zambia · Equal-area projection
0.87×
Afghanistan is 0.87× the area of Zambia. Put the other way, Zambia is 1.15× the size of Afghanistan.
 Afghanistan |  Zambia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaZambia: 1.15× the area | 652,230 km²#40 of 194 | 752,618 km²#38 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationAfghanistan: 2.0× the population | 43,844,111#36 of 194 · 2025 | 21,913,874#62 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityAfghanistan: 2.31× the density | 67 / km²#119 of 194 | 29 / km²#153 of 194 |
| Urban populationZambia: 1.77× the urban share | 26%#179 of 192 · 2025 | 46%#135 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAfghanistan: 1.18× the births per woman | 4.76 per woman#9 of 192 · 2024 | 4.04 per woman#25 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthThe same | +2.77%#19 of 192 · 2025 | +2.77%#19 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateAfghanistan: 1.07× the birth rate | 35.0 per 1,000#9 of 192 · 2024 | 32.7 per 1,000#19 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateAfghanistan: 1.1× the death rate | 5.7 per 1,000#148 of 192 · 2024 | 5.2 per 1,000#166 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Afghanistan: 1.6 points higher | 42.6%#11 of 192 · 2025 | 41.0%#17 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Afghanistan: 0.4 points higher | 2.4%#185 of 192 · 2025 | 2.0%#190 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationZambia: 2.0 per 1,000 higher | −1.7 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2025 | +0.3 per 1,000#64 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadAfghanistan: 3,047× the refugees for its size | 60.93 per 1,000#6 of 190 · 2025 | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyZambia: 0.2 years longer | 66.3 years#158 of 192 · 2024 | 66.5 years#156 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityAfghanistan: 1.4× the infant mortality | 48.3 per 1,000 births#13 of 191 · 2024 | 34.6 per 1,000 births#34 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsAbout as many doctors per person | 0.32 per 1,000#136 of 178 · 2023 | 0.32 per 1,000#136 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | 10.9%#128 of 145 · 2020 | — |
| Human Development IndexZambia: 0.099 higher | 0.496#178 of 190 · 2023 | 0.595#151 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaZambia: 3.08× the income per person | $390#184 of 185 · 2024 | $1,200#164 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPZambia: 1.62× the economy | $17.78B2024 | $28.88B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Zambia: 1.96× the output per person | $2,236#174 of 184 · 2024 | $4,379#158 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthZambia: 1.9 points higher | +1.9%#134 of 187 · 2024 | +3.8%#75 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationZambia: 20.5 points higher | −6.6%#176 of 176 · 2024 | +13.9%#16 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentAfghanistan: 2.27× the unemployment | 13.4%#20 of 178 · 2025 | 5.9%#74 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 71.7%#6 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 51.5#6 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureZambia: 2.9 points higher | 51.6% of jobs#23 of 178 · 2025 | 54.5% of jobs#18 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryAfghanistan: 8.6 points higher | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 | 10.3% of jobs#154 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesZambia: 5.7 points higher | 29.5% of jobs#165 of 178 · 2025 | 35.2% of jobs#156 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentZambia: 4.4 points higher | 0.1% of GDP#158 of 184 · 2021 | 4.5% of GDP#41 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsZambia: 19.3 points higher | 15.7% of GDP#146 of 168 · 2024 | 35.0% of GDP#85 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingAfghanistan: 1.45× the military spending | 1.8% of GDP#75 of 155 · 2021 | 1.3% of GDP#101 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersZambia: 1.06× the share online | 16%#178 of 184 · 2024 | 17%#177 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsZambia: 1.82× the mobile subscriptions | 60 per 100#176 of 191 · 2024 | 109 per 100#112 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaZambia: 31.8× the forest share | 2% of land#172 of 192 · 2024 | 61% of land#27 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personZambia: 1.93× the CO₂ per person | 0.28 t a year#164 of 185 · 2024 | 0.54 t a year#147 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyZambia: 63.0 points higher | 20.0%#107 of 190 · 2022 | 83.0%#10 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityAfghanistan: 34.2 points higher | 87.8%#143 of 192 · 2024 | 53.6%#174 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Afghanistan: 1.88× the air pollution | 37.9 µg/m³#26 of 191 · 2023 | 20.2 µg/m³#80 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landZambia: 37.7 points higher | 3.6% of land#174 of 191 · 2025 | 41.3% of land#7 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landAfghanistan: 6.9 points higher | 12.0% of land#84 of 190 · 2024 | 5.1% of land#130 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressAfghanistan: 19.6× the water stress | 54.8%#33 of 176 · 2022 | 2.8%#140 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationZambia: 3.12× the rain and snow | 327 mm#152 of 180 · 2022 | 1,020 mm#94 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityZambia: 1.98 higher | −2.04#186 of 193 · 2025 | −0.06#109 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionZambia: 0.85 higher | −1.31#173 of 193 · 2025 | −0.46#116 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 republic |
| Capital | Kabul | Lusaka |
| Currency | Afghani (AFN) | Zambian Kwacha (ZMW) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Pashto, Uzbek, Turkmen, Dari, Balochi, Nuristani, Pamir, Pashayi | English |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+4:30 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +93 | +260 |
| Region | Southern Asia, Asia | Eastern Africa, Africa |
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; Zambia at 13° S is stretched to 1.06×. 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 Zambia?
- No. Afghanistan is 13% smaller than Zambia. Afghanistan covers 652,230 km² and Zambia covers 752,618 km².
- How many times does Afghanistan fit into Zambia?
- About 1.2 times: Zambia has 1.15× the area of Afghanistan.
- Why do Afghanistan and Zambia 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 Zambia about 1.06×. 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 Zambia?
- Afghanistan: 43,844,111 people against 21,913,874. Density: Afghanistan 67 per km², Zambia 29 per km².
- Which is richer, Afghanistan or Zambia?
- By gross national income per person, Zambia: $1,200 against $390 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2024) — 3.08× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Afghanistan or Zambia?
- In Zambia: life expectancy at birth is 66.5 years, against 66.3 — 0.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Afghanistan and Zambia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Afghanistan: theocracy; Zambia: presidential republic.