Afghanistan — World Gazetteer, 2005 edition

Name: Afghanistan — World Gazetteer 2005 edition
Creator: Stefan Helders

By James Burfield, SEO consultant, Bath · Page updated 18 September 2026 · World Gazetteer, 2005 edition

Afghanistan had an estimated population of 25,936,491 in 2005, with 117 places recorded. Archived from the World Gazetteer, the reference work formerly published at this domain.

About these figures. This page is part of the restored World Gazetteer archive: the 2005 edition of Stefan Helders' reference work, which was published at this domain until 2013 and is preserved here. Figures are as of 2005 and are kept for citation continuity and historical comparison. Esta página conserva la edición de 2005 del World Gazetteer. Las cifras corresponden a 2005; para datos actuales, consulte las fuentes oficiales.

For current figures: Afghanistan today — population now 45,047,069, against 25,936,491 in 2005.

Source	2005	Now	Change
World Gazetteer (the work cited)	25,936,491	—	—
UN World Population Prospects	24,404,567	45,047,069	+85%

The two sources differ by 6% for 2005. The Gazetteer figure is the one the citation you followed refers to; the UN pair is the like-for-like comparison.

Cities and towns, 2005

#	Place	Region	Population (2005)	Today
1	Kabul	Kabul	3,043,532	4,434,550 now
2	Qandahār	Qandahar	391,190	—
3	Mazār-e Šarīf	Balẖ	303,282	—
4	Herāt	Herāt	272,806	574,300 now
5	Jalālābād	Nangarhār	200,331	271,900 now
6	Qundūz	Qundūz	161,902	—
7	Ġaznī	Ġaznī	143,008	—
8	Bāmīyān	Bāmiyān	125,275	—
9	Balẖ	Balẖ	114,883	—
10	Baġlān	Baġlān	108,449	—
11	Gardez	Paktiyā	103,601	103,601 now
12	Khowst	Khowst	96,123	—
13	Maymanah	Fāryāb	79,275	—
14	H̱ānābād	Qundūz	71,531	—
15	Kholm	Samangān	64,933	—
16	Tāloqān	Taẖār	64,256	64,256 now
17	Pol-e H̱umrī	Baġlān	56,369	—
18	Shibarghan	Jawzjān	55,641	—
19	Čārīkār	Parwān	53,676	—
20	Qalʿeh-ye Naw	Bādgīs	52,554	—
21	Sar-e Pul	Sar-e Pul	52,121	52,121 now
22	Āqčah	Jawzjān	49,510	—
23	Ġūrīān	Herāt	49,502	—
24	Paġmān	Kabul	49,157	—
25	Asādābād	Kunar	48,329	48,400 now
26	Āybak	Samangān	47,823	—
27	Laškar Gāh	Hilmand	43,934	—
28	Gerešk	Hilmand	43,588	—
29	Farāh	Farāh	43,561	43,561 now
30	Fayzābād	Badakhshan	40,276	44,421 now
31	Taš Gozar	Balẖ	38,982	—
32	Zaranj	Nimruz	33,884	49,851 now
33	Čaġčarān	Ġawr	31,459	—
34	Baġrāmī	Kabul	30,256	—
35	Šīndand	Farāh	29,264	—
36	Andẖvoy	Fāryāb	29,208	—
37	Andarāb	Baġlān	27,034	—
38	Baġrān	Hilmand	25,918	—
39	Deh Rawūd	Urūzgān	25,708	—
40	Rostaq	Taẖār	25,636	—
41	Hazart Imam	Qundūz	24,544	—
42	Čāh Āb	Taẖār	23,417	—
43	Nahrīn	Baġlān	22,363	22,363 now
44	Barakī Barak	Lawgar	22,305	22,305 now
45	Sarawbi	Kabul	21,598	—
46	Šulgara	Balẖ	21,537	—
47	Tawraġudi	Herāt	20,197	—
48	H̱wājeh Ġār	Taẖār	18,623	—
49	Eslām Qalʿeh	Herāt	18,086	18,086 now
50	Dawlātābād	Balẖ	17,667	—
51	Karuẖ	Herāt	17,484	—
52	Mehtar Lām	Laġmān	17,345	17,345 now
53	Hugyani	Nangarhār	17,077	—
54	Nūristān	Nūristān	17,072	—
55	Kūšk	Herāt	16,952	—
56	Šahrak	Ġawr	15,967	—
57	Asmār	Kunar	15,708	15,708 now
58	Tarīn Kawt	Urūzgān	15,609	—
59	Sang-e Čārak	Jawzjān	15,377	—
60	H̱aš	Nimruz	15,133	—
61	Qalʿeh-ye Zal	Qundūz	15,099	—
62	Ačīn	Nangarhār	15,098	—
63	Bālā Morġāb	Bādgīs	15,089	—
64	Čaẖansur	Nimruz	15,070	—
65	Jabal-os-Sarāj	Parwān	15,032	—
66	Qarqīn	Jawzjān	15,018	—
67	Maydānšahr	Wardag	14,899	—
68	Taywarah	Ġawr	14,398	—
69	Marġī	Sar-e Pul	14,333	—
70	Mirabad	Nimruz	14,160	—
71	Zarġun Šahr	Paktīkā	13,737	—
72	Dawlātābād	Fāryāb	13,587	—
73	Sangīn	Hilmand	13,579	—
74	Panjāb	Bāmiyān	13,471	—
75	Urūzgān	Urūzgān	13,388	—
76	Pol-e Alam	Lawgar	13,247	—
77	Čīras	Sar-e Pul	12,779	—
78	ʿAlī H̱ayl	Paktiyā	12,687	—
79	Azrow	Lawgar	12,526	—
80	Qarabāġ	Herāt	12,412	—
81	Qarabāġ	Kabul	12,347	—
82	Nāder Šāh Kawţ	Nangarhār	12,305	—
83	Qalāt-e Ġilzay	Zābul	12,191	—
84	Eškašem	Badakhshan	12,120	—
85	Jurm	Badakhshan	12,106	23,064 now
86	Kūhestān	Herāt	12,087	—
87	Tokzār	Sar-e Pul	12,021	—
88	Čahār Burjak	Nimruz	11,935	—
89	Lar Gerd	Sar-e Pul	11,635	—
90	Rudbar	Nimruz	11,034	—
91	Orgūn	Paktīkā	10,665	—
92	Farẖar	Taẖār	10,480	—
93	Zendejān	Herāt	10,104	—
94	Anār Darreh	Farāh	10,023	—
95	Emām Şāh̨eb	Qundūz	9,659	—
96	Darzi Āb	Fāryāb	9,642	—
97	Qil Qalʿeh	Bāmiyān	9,239	—
98	Deh Šū	Hilmand	9,196	—
99	Qalʿeh-ye Panjeh	Badakhshan	9,152	—
100	Tagaw Bāy	Sar-e Pul	9,096	—
101	Darwīšan	Hilmand	9,012	—
102	Qarchi Gak	Balẖ	8,942	—
103	Dašt-e Arča	Qundūz	8,263	—
104	Qalʿeh Šahr	Sar-e Pul	7,756	—
105	Sharan	Paktīkā	7,366	—
106	Awbeh	Herāt	7,290	—
107	Tir Pol	Herāt	6,979	—
108	Batsawul	Nangarhār	6,835	—
109	Gardan Dīwāl	Wardag	6,815	—
110	Mah̨mūd-e Rāqī	Kāpīsā	6,624	—
111	Eškameš	Taẖār	6,602	—
112	Yangi Qalʿeh	Taẖār	6,541	—
113	Tāġab	Kāpīsā	6,400	—
114	Gaz Āb	Urūzgān	5,649	—
115	H̱andūd	Badakhshan	5,521	—
116	Mir Baččekut	Kabul	5,405	—
117	Dahaneh-ye Ġawri	Baġlān	3,307	—

The Today column links to our current page for the same place, where one matches by name and plausible size; the figure shown there is today's, never 2005's. A dash means no confident match, which is more honest than a guessed link.

Administrative divisions, 2005

#	Name	Population (2005)
1	Kabul	3,138,338
2	Balẖ	1,866,522
3	Qandahar	1,665,487
4	Nangarhār	1,538,444
5	Herāt	1,382,139
6	Ġaznī	1,097,758
7	Badakhshan	1,062,937
8	Hilmand	925,666
9	Fāryāb	913,866
10	Baġlān	872,234
11	Bādgīs	792,155
12	Parwān	786,152
13	Taẖār	748,216
14	Jawzjān	747,618
15	Sar-e Pul	727,277
16	Qundūz	718,823
17	Ġawr	656,113
18	Laġmān	651,326
19	Samangān	599,331
20	Kunar	562,411
21	Paktiyā	503,572
22	Bāmiyān	484,648
23	Paktīkā	476,740
24	Kāpīsā	472,584
25	Farāh	470,939
26	Zābul	444,585
27	Wardag	342,048
28	Lawgar	317,153
29	Urūzgān	301,867
30	Khowst	283,283
31	Nimruz	234,086
32	Nūristān	152,173

The complete dataset is available as a free CSV download, with attribution to Stefan Helders / World Gazetteer.