Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Pakistan is 22% bigger than Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 652,870 km² (2024) · Pakistan: 796,100 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Afghanistan: 0 km (2026 edition) · Pakistan: 1,046 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Pakistan’s highest peak towers 1,119 m above Afghanistan’s
Afghanistan: 7,492 m (2026 edition) · Pakistan: 8,611 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 58% of Afghanistan, versus 47% of Pakistan
Afghanistan: 58.4% (2024) · Pakistan: 47.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Pakistan has 5.8 times as many people as Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 43.8 million (2025) · Pakistan: 255 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Pakistan is 4.9 times as densely populated as Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 67 per km² (2025) · Pakistan: 331 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Afghanistan are 1.2 cm taller than in Pakistan
Afghanistan: 168.5 cm (2019) · Pakistan: 167.3 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Afghanistan are 1.3 cm taller than in Pakistan
Afghanistan: 156.1 cm (2019) · Pakistan: 154.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Pakistan is 3.3 years older than in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 16.9 years (2023) · Pakistan: 20.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Afghanistan have 1.2 more children on average than in Pakistan
Afghanistan: 4.76 children per woman (2024) · Pakistan: 3.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
4.4% of people in Pakistan are 65 or older, versus 2.4% in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 2.4% (2025) · Pakistan: 4.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Pakistan hosts 9.5 times as many refugees per resident as Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 0.5 per 1,000 (2025) · Pakistan: 4.5 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Pakistan has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Afghanistan none
Afghanistan: 0 (2026) · Pakistan: 0.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Afghanistan has 3 official languages, Pakistan 2
Afghanistan: 3 (2026) · Pakistan: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Pakistan’s economy is 23 times the size of Afghanistan’s
Afghanistan: $17.8 billion (2024) · Pakistan: $407 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Pakistan produces 2.9 times as much per person as Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Int$2,236 (2024) · Pakistan: Int$6,573 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Afghanistan: no data · Pakistan: 33.5 (2024)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Afghanistan: no data · Pakistan: 23% (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 13% in Afghanistan, versus 5.4% in Pakistan
Afghanistan: 13.4% (2025) · Pakistan: 5.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Pakistan spends 2.9% of its GDP on the military, Afghanistan 1.8%
Afghanistan: 1.8% (2021) · Pakistan: 2.9% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Afghanistan: 9.9% (2017) · Pakistan: no data
How expensive is it?
Pakistan’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Afghanistan’s
Afghanistan: 19% (2024) · Pakistan: 24% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Afghanistan spends 94% more on health per person than Pakistan
Afghanistan: $59 (2023) · Pakistan: $30 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Pakistan live 1.5 years longer than in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 66.3 years (2024) · Pakistan: 67.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
Afghanistan and Pakistan are nearly identical here
Afghanistan: 48.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Pakistan: 48.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Pakistan has 3.7 times as many doctors per person as Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Pakistan: 1.2 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Pakistan has 80% more hospital beds per person than Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Pakistan: 0.6 per 1,000 (2020)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Pakistan is 82% higher than in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 5 per 100k (2023) · Pakistan: 9.1 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in Pakistan are obese, versus 19% in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 18.8% (2024) · Pakistan: 23.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
22% of adults in Afghanistan smoke, versus 18% in Pakistan
Afghanistan: 22.1% (2024) · Pakistan: 17.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Pakistan rate their lives 3.42 points higher than in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 1.45 (2025) · Pakistan: 4.87 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Pakistan drink 2.9 times as much alcohol as in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 0.03 litres (2023) · Pakistan: 0.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Pakistan has 3.3 times as much meat per person as Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 6.4 kg (2023) · Pakistan: 21.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Pakistan has 199 kcal more food per person per day than Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 2,315 kcal (2023) · Pakistan: 2,514 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Afghanistan: no data · Pakistan: 2,471 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Pakistan went to school 1.8 years longer than in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 2.5 years (2023) · Pakistan: 4.3 years (2023)
How many World Heritage sites?
Pakistan has 4 more World Heritage sites than Afghanistan (6 against 2)
Afghanistan: 2 (2026) · Pakistan: 6 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Pakistan has won 11 Olympic medals, Afghanistan 2
Afghanistan: 2 (2026 edition) · Pakistan: 11 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
57% of people in Pakistan are online, versus 16% in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 16% (2024) · Pakistan: 57% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Pakistan is 52% faster than in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 16 Mbps (2026) · Pakistan: 24 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
96% of people in Pakistan have electricity, versus 88% in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 87.8% (2024) · Pakistan: 95.7% (2024)
How many live in cities?
40% of people in Pakistan live in cities, versus 26% in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 26% (2025) · Pakistan: 40% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Pakistan has 77 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Afghanistan 60
Afghanistan: 60 (2024) · Pakistan: 77 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Afghanistan: no data · Pakistan: 7,791 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Pakistan fly 19% more passengers per resident than those from Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 0.02 (2023) · Pakistan: 0.03 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 4.1% of Pakistan, but only 1.9% of Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 1.9% (2024) · Pakistan: 4.1% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Pakistan emits 2.8 times as much CO₂ as someone in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 0.3 t (2024) · Pakistan: 0.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
87% of Afghanistan’s electricity is renewable, versus 43% in Pakistan
Afghanistan: 86.9% (2024) · Pakistan: 42.7% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Pakistan carries 35% more fine dust than in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 40 µg/m³ (2024) · Pakistan: 53.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 7% more likely to be murdered in Pakistan than in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 4 per 100k (2021) · Pakistan: 4.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Afghanistan are 2.1 times as deadly as in Pakistan
Afghanistan: 35.6 per 100k (2023) · Pakistan: 16.7 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Pakistan is on average 7.5 °C warmer than Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 13.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Pakistan: 21°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Pakistan gets 28% more rain than Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 324 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Pakistan: 416 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Afghanistan bigger than Pakistan?
Pakistan is larger. Pakistan is 22% bigger than Afghanistan.
Which has more people, Afghanistan or Pakistan?
Pakistan has 5.8 times as many people as Afghanistan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Afghanistan or Pakistan?
People in Pakistan live 1.5 years longer than in Afghanistan. Life expectancy at birth is 66.3 years in Afghanistan and 67.8 in Pakistan.
Are people taller in Afghanistan or Pakistan?
Men in Afghanistan are 1.2 cm taller than in Pakistan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
