Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Tajikistan fits inside Afghanistan 4.6 times
Afghanistan: 652,870 km² (2024) · Tajikistan: 141,379 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Afghanistan: 0 km (2026 edition) · Tajikistan: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Tajikistan and Afghanistan are practically level
Afghanistan: 7,492 m (2026 edition) · Tajikistan: 7,495 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 58% of Afghanistan, versus 28% of Tajikistan
Afghanistan: 58.4% (2024) · Tajikistan: 28% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Afghanistan has 4.1 times as many people as Tajikistan
Afghanistan: 43.8 million (2025) · Tajikistan: 10.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Tajikistan is 16% more densely populated than Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 67 per km² (2025) · Tajikistan: 78 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Afghanistan and Tajikistan are practically level
Afghanistan: 168.5 cm (2019) · Tajikistan: 168.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Tajikistan are 2.0 cm taller than in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 156.1 cm (2019) · Tajikistan: 158.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Tajikistan is 5 years older than in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 16.9 years (2023) · Tajikistan: 21.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Afghanistan have 1.7 more children on average than in Tajikistan
Afghanistan: 4.76 children per woman (2024) · Tajikistan: 3.04 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
4.1% of people in Tajikistan are 65 or older, versus 2.4% in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 2.4% (2025) · Tajikistan: 4.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Tajikistan hosts 68% more refugees per resident than Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 0.5 per 1,000 (2025) · Tajikistan: 0.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Afghanistan and Tajikistan are practically level
Afghanistan: 0 (2026) · Tajikistan: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Afghanistan has 3 official languages, Tajikistan 2
Afghanistan: 3 (2026) · Tajikistan: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Afghanistan and Tajikistan are nearly identical here
Afghanistan: $17.8 billion (2024) · Tajikistan: $17.7 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Tajikistan produces 2.6 times as much per person as Afghanistan
Afghanistan: Int$2,236 (2024) · Tajikistan: Int$5,923 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Afghanistan: no data · Tajikistan: 36.1 (2024)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Afghanistan: no data · Tajikistan: 6.1% (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 13% in Afghanistan, versus 6.9% in Tajikistan
Afghanistan: 13.4% (2025) · Tajikistan: 6.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Afghanistan and Tajikistan are practically level
Afghanistan: 1.8% (2021) · Tajikistan: 1.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Tajikistan’s central government collects 11% of GDP in tax, Afghanistan’s 9.9%
Afghanistan: 9.9% (2017) · Tajikistan: 10.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Tajikistan’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Afghanistan’s
Afghanistan: 19% (2024) · Tajikistan: 28% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Tajikistan spends 44% more on health per person than Afghanistan
Afghanistan: $59 (2023) · Tajikistan: $85 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Tajikistan live 5.6 years longer than in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 66.3 years (2024) · Tajikistan: 71.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Afghanistan is 2.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Tajikistan
Afghanistan: 48.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Tajikistan: 23.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Tajikistan has 5.9 times as many doctors per person as Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Tajikistan: 1.9 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Tajikistan has 12 times as many hospital beds per person as Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Tajikistan: 4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Tajikistan is 8% higher than in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 5 per 100k (2023) · Tajikistan: 5.4 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
21% of adults in Tajikistan are obese, versus 19% in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 18.8% (2024) · Tajikistan: 21% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Afghanistan: 22.1% (2024) · Tajikistan: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Tajikistan rate their lives 4.15 points higher than in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 1.45 (2025) · Tajikistan: 5.59 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Tajikistan drink 23 times as much alcohol as in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 0.03 litres (2023) · Tajikistan: 0.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Tajikistan has 5.2 times as much meat per person as Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 6.4 kg (2023) · Tajikistan: 32.9 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Tajikistan has 397 kcal more food per person per day than Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 2,315 kcal (2023) · Tajikistan: 2,712 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Afghanistan: no data · Tajikistan: 2,134 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Tajikistan went to school 8.8 years longer than in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 2.5 years (2023) · Tajikistan: 11.3 years (2023)
How many World Heritage sites?
Tajikistan has 3 more World Heritage sites than Afghanistan (5 against 2)
Afghanistan: 2 (2026) · Tajikistan: 5 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Tajikistan has won 7 Olympic medals, Afghanistan 2
Afghanistan: 2 (2026 edition) · Tajikistan: 7 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
56% of people in Tajikistan are online, versus 16% in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 16% (2024) · Tajikistan: 56% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Tajikistan is 4.2 times as fast as in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 16 Mbps (2026) · Tajikistan: 65 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Tajikistan have electricity, versus 88% in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 87.8% (2024) · Tajikistan: 99.9% (2024)
How many live in cities?
Tajikistan and Afghanistan are practically level
Afghanistan: 26% (2025) · Tajikistan: 26% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Tajikistan has 76 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Afghanistan 60
Afghanistan: 60 (2024) · Tajikistan: 76 (2023)
How much railway is there?
Afghanistan: no data · Tajikistan: 620 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Tajikistan fly 2.7 times as many passengers per resident as those from Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 0.02 (2023) · Tajikistan: 0.06 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 3.1% of Tajikistan, but only 1.9% of Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 1.9% (2024) · Tajikistan: 3.1% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Tajikistan emits 4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 0.3 t (2024) · Tajikistan: 1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
94% of Tajikistan’s electricity is renewable, versus 87% in Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 86.9% (2024) · Tajikistan: 94.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Afghanistan carries 23% more fine dust than in Tajikistan
Afghanistan: 40 µg/m³ (2024) · Tajikistan: 32.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4.5 times as likely to be murdered in Afghanistan as in Tajikistan
Afghanistan: 4 per 100k (2021) · Tajikistan: 0.9 per 100k (2020)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Afghanistan are 2.2 times as deadly as in Tajikistan
Afghanistan: 35.6 per 100k (2023) · Tajikistan: 16.5 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Afghanistan is on average 12.5 °C warmer than Tajikistan
Afghanistan: 13.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Tajikistan: 1°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Tajikistan gets 2.1 times as much rain as Afghanistan
Afghanistan: 324 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Tajikistan: 679 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Afghanistan bigger than Tajikistan?
Afghanistan is larger. Tajikistan fits inside Afghanistan 4.6 times.
Which has more people, Afghanistan or Tajikistan?
Afghanistan has 4.1 times as many people as Tajikistan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Afghanistan or Tajikistan?
People in Tajikistan live 5.6 years longer than in Afghanistan. Life expectancy at birth is 66.3 years in Afghanistan and 71.9 in Tajikistan.
Are people taller in Afghanistan or Tajikistan?
Afghanistan and Tajikistan are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
