CountryDuel

Land

Size, shape and altitude

Total area

How big is it, really?

Afghanistan is 33% bigger than Turkmenistan

Afghanistan: 652,870 km² (2024) · Turkmenistan: 491,209 km² (2024)

Drag it across the map
Coastline

How much coast is there?

Afghanistan: 0 km (2026 edition) · Turkmenistan: 0 km (2026 edition)

Highest point

How high can you climb?

Afghanistan’s highest peak towers 4,353 m above Turkmenistan’s

Afghanistan: 7,492 m (2026 edition) · Turkmenistan: 3,139 m (2026 edition)

Farmland

How much of the land is farmed?

Farmland covers 84% of Turkmenistan, versus 58% of Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 58.4% (2024) · Turkmenistan: 84.3% (2024)

How far apart are they?

People

Who lives there, and how closely

Population

How many people live there?

Afghanistan has 5.8 times as many people as Turkmenistan

Afghanistan: 43.8 million (2025) · Turkmenistan: 7.62 million (2025)

Population density

How crowded is it?

Afghanistan is 4.1 times as densely populated as Turkmenistan

Afghanistan: 67 per km² (2025) · Turkmenistan: 16 per km² (2025)

Height of men

How tall are the men?

Men in Turkmenistan are 5.9 cm taller than in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 168.5 cm (2019) · Turkmenistan: 174.4 cm (2019)

Height of women

How tall are the women?

Women in Turkmenistan are 6.7 cm taller than in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 156.1 cm (2019) · Turkmenistan: 162.8 cm (2019)

Median age

How old is the typical person?

The typical person in Turkmenistan is 9.3 years older than in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 16.9 years (2023) · Turkmenistan: 26.2 years (2023)

Fertility rate

How many children per woman?

Women in Afghanistan have 2.1 more children on average than in Turkmenistan

Afghanistan: 4.76 children per woman (2024) · Turkmenistan: 2.66 children per woman (2024)

Aged 65 and over

How many people are 65 or older?

4.8% of people in Turkmenistan are 65 or older, versus 2.4% in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 2.4% (2025) · Turkmenistan: 4.8% (2025)

Refugees hosted per 1,000 residents

How many refugees does it host?

Afghanistan hosts 403 times as many refugees per resident as Turkmenistan

Afghanistan: 0.5 per 1,000 (2025) · Turkmenistan: 0.0012 per 1,000 (2025)

Nobel laureates per 10 million people

How many Nobel laureates were born there?

Afghanistan and Turkmenistan are practically level

Afghanistan: 0 (2026) · Turkmenistan: 0 (2026)

Official languages

How many official languages?

Afghanistan has 3 official languages, Turkmenistan 2

Afghanistan: 3 (2026) · Turkmenistan: 2 (2026)

What shape is the population?

Money

What an economy looks like per person

Economy size (GDP)

How big is the economy?

Turkmenistan’s economy is 2.8 times the size of Afghanistan’s

Afghanistan: $17.8 billion (2024) · Turkmenistan: $49.8 billion (2025)

GDP per person (PPP)

How much is produced per person?

Turkmenistan produces 10 times as much per person as Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Int$2,236 (2024) · Turkmenistan: Int$22,602 (2025)

Unemployment

How many people are looking for work?

Unemployment is 13% in Afghanistan, versus 4.3% in Turkmenistan

Afghanistan: 13.4% (2025) · Turkmenistan: 4.3% (2025)

Military spending

How much goes to the military?

Afghanistan: 1.8% (2021) · Turkmenistan: no data

Tax revenue (central government)

How much does the central government collect in tax?

Afghanistan: 9.9% (2017) · Turkmenistan: no data

Price level (US = 100)

How expensive is it?

Turkmenistan’s price level (US = 100) is 1.6× Afghanistan’s

Afghanistan: 19% (2024) · Turkmenistan: 29% (2025)

Health

Long lives, small beginnings

Health spending per person

How much is spent on health?

Turkmenistan spends 9.8 times as much on health per person as Afghanistan

Afghanistan: $59 (2023) · Turkmenistan: $581 (2023)

Life expectancy

How long do people live?

People in Turkmenistan live 3.9 years longer than in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 66.3 years (2024) · Turkmenistan: 70.2 years (2024)

Infant mortality

How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?

A baby in Afghanistan is 59% more likely to die before turning one than in Turkmenistan

Afghanistan: 48.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Turkmenistan: 30.4 per 1,000 (2024)

Doctors

How many doctors are there?

Turkmenistan has 6.1 times as many doctors per person as Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Turkmenistan: 1.9 per 1,000 (2023)

Hospital beds

How many hospital beds are there?

Turkmenistan has 10 times as many hospital beds per person as Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Turkmenistan: 3.6 per 1,000 (2021)

Suicide rate

How common is suicide?

The suicide rate in Turkmenistan is 2.2 times that in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 5 per 100k (2023) · Turkmenistan: 11.1 per 100k (2023)

Adult obesity

How common is obesity?

21% of adults in Turkmenistan are obese, versus 19% in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 18.8% (2024) · Turkmenistan: 21.2% (2024)

Smoking

How many adults smoke?

22% of adults in Afghanistan smoke, versus 5.4% in Turkmenistan

Afghanistan: 22.1% (2024) · Turkmenistan: 5.4% (2024)

Everyday life

Plates, glasses and happiness

Life satisfaction

How do people rate their lives?

People in Turkmenistan rate their lives 4.03 points higher than in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 1.45 (2025) · Turkmenistan: 5.47 (2021)

Alcohol consumption

How much do people drink?

Adults in Turkmenistan drink 50 times as much alcohol as in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 0.03 litres (2023) · Turkmenistan: 1.5 litres (2023)

Meat supply

How much meat is on the menu?

Turkmenistan has 8 times as much meat per person as Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 6.4 kg (2023) · Turkmenistan: 51.2 kg (2023)

Daily calories

How much food is there per day?

Turkmenistan has 500 kcal more food per person per day than Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 2,315 kcal (2023) · Turkmenistan: 2,814 kcal (2023)

Working hours

How long do people work?

Afghanistan: no data · Turkmenistan: 2,179 hours (2023)

Years of schooling

How long do people go to school?

Adults in Turkmenistan went to school 8.7 years longer than in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 2.5 years (2023) · Turkmenistan: 11.2 years (2023)

World Heritage sites

How many World Heritage sites?

Turkmenistan has 3 more World Heritage sites than Afghanistan (5 against 2)

Afghanistan: 2 (2026) · Turkmenistan: 5 (2026)

Olympic medals (all time)

How many Olympic medals has it won?

Afghanistan has won 2 Olympic medals, Turkmenistan 1

Afghanistan: 2 (2026 edition) · Turkmenistan: 1 (2026 edition)

Connected

Online, electrified, urban

Internet users

How many people are online?

18% of people in Turkmenistan are online, versus 16% in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 16% (2024) · Turkmenistan: 18% (2016)

Fixed broadband download speed

How fast is home internet?

Home internet in Turkmenistan is 5.4 times as fast as in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 16 Mbps (2026) · Turkmenistan: 84 Mbps (2026)

Access to electricity

Who has electricity at home?

100% of people in Turkmenistan have electricity, versus 88% in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 87.8% (2024) · Turkmenistan: 100% (2024)

Urban population

How many live in cities?

47% of people in Turkmenistan live in cities, versus 26% in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 26% (2025) · Turkmenistan: 47% (2025)

Mobile subscriptions

How many phones per person?

Turkmenistan has 88 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Afghanistan 60

Afghanistan: 60 (2024) · Turkmenistan: 88 (2021)

Railway network

How much railway is there?

Afghanistan: no data · Turkmenistan: 7,680 km (2018)

Air passengers per resident

How much do they fly?

Airlines from Turkmenistan fly 6 times as many passengers per resident as those from Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 0.02 (2023) · Turkmenistan: 0.14 (2023)

Planet

Air, forests and energy

Forest cover

How much of the land is forest?

Forest covers 5.0% of Turkmenistan, but only 1.9% of Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 1.9% (2024) · Turkmenistan: 5% (2024)

CO₂ per person

How much CO₂ does each person emit?

The average person in Turkmenistan emits 43 times as much CO₂ as someone in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 0.3 t (2024) · Turkmenistan: 10.8 t (2024)

Renewable electricity

How green is the power grid?

87% of Afghanistan’s electricity is renewable, versus 0.0% in Turkmenistan

Afghanistan: 86.9% (2024) · Turkmenistan: 0% (2024)

Air pollution (PM2.5)

How clean is the air?

The air in Afghanistan carries 37% more fine dust than in Turkmenistan

Afghanistan: 40 µg/m³ (2024) · Turkmenistan: 29.1 µg/m³ (2024)

Where does the power come from?

Safety

Measured risk, not vibes

Homicide rate

How common is murder?

You are 4 times as likely to be murdered in Afghanistan as in Turkmenistan

Afghanistan: 4 per 100k (2021) · Turkmenistan: 1 per 100k (2015)

Road deaths

How dangerous are the roads?

Roads in Afghanistan are 3.8 times as deadly as in Turkmenistan

Afghanistan: 35.6 per 100k (2023) · Turkmenistan: 9.4 per 100k (2023)

Climate

What the year feels like

Average temperature

How warm is it?

Turkmenistan is on average 4.0 °C warmer than Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 13.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Turkmenistan: 17.5°C (2016–2025 avg)

Rainfall

How much rain falls?

Afghanistan gets 2.1 times as much rain as Turkmenistan

Afghanistan: 324 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Turkmenistan: 151 mm (2016–2025 avg)

What does the year feel like?

Between them

People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other

Who has moved between them?
Can they visit without a visa?
What do they sell each other?
Have they met on the pitch?
Time machine

Quick answers

Is Afghanistan bigger than Turkmenistan?

Afghanistan is larger. Afghanistan is 33% bigger than Turkmenistan.

Which has more people, Afghanistan or Turkmenistan?

Afghanistan has 5.8 times as many people as Turkmenistan (2025 estimates).

Where do people live longer, Afghanistan or Turkmenistan?

People in Turkmenistan live 3.9 years longer than in Afghanistan. Life expectancy at birth is 66.3 years in Afghanistan and 70.2 in Turkmenistan.

Are people taller in Afghanistan or Turkmenistan?

Men in Turkmenistan are 5.9 cm taller than in Afghanistan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).

Keep duelling