Afghanistan: cities by population
Afghanistan has a population of 45,047,069 (UN estimate, 2026), with Kabul as its capital. The 50 largest of its 103 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
+124%
since 2000 (20,130,327)
+71%
projected by 2050 (76,885,135)
69
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Largest cities in Afghanistan
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kabul | Kabul | 4,434,550 |
| 2 | Herāt | Herat | 574,300 |
| 3 | Mazār-e Sharīf | Balkh | 523,300 |
| 4 | Kandahār | Kandahar | 523,300 |
| 5 | Jalālābād | Nangarhar | 271,900 |
| 6 | Kunduz | Kunduz | 161,902 |
| 7 | Ghazni | Ghazni | 141,000 |
| 8 | Balkh | Balkh | 114,883 |
| 9 | Baghlān | Baghlan | 108,449 |
| 10 | Gardez | Paktia | 103,601 |
| 11 | Khōst | Khowst | 96,123 |
| 12 | Maymana | Faryab | 75,900 |
| 13 | Khanabad | Kunduz | 71,531 |
| 14 | Bāzārak | Panjshir | 65,000 |
| 15 | Khulm | Balkh | 64,933 |
| 16 | Taloqan | Takhar | 64,256 |
| 17 | Bāmyān | Bamyan | 61,863 |
| 18 | Pul-e Khumrī | Baghlan | 56,369 |
| 19 | Shibirghān | Jowzjan | 55,641 |
| 20 | Charikar | Parwan | 53,676 |
| 21 | Sar-e Pul | Sar-e Pol Province | 52,121 |
| 22 | Zaranj | Nimroz | 49,851 |
| 23 | Paghmān | Kabul | 49,157 |
| 24 | Asadābād | Kunar | 48,400 |
| 25 | Aībak | Samangan | 47,823 |
| 26 | Fayzabad | Badakhshan | 44,421 |
| 27 | Lashkar Gāh | Helmand | 43,934 |
| 28 | Gereshk | Helmand | 43,588 |
| 29 | Farah | Farah | 43,561 |
| 30 | Istālif | Kabul | 41,413 |
| 31 | Andkhoy | Faryab | 37,900 |
| 32 | Bahārak | Badakhshan | 32,551 |
| 33 | Nīlī | Daykundi | 30,058 |
| 34 | Ghormach | Badghis | 30,000 |
| 35 | Shīnḏanḏ | Herat | 29,264 |
| 36 | Rustāq | Takhar | 25,636 |
| 37 | Khān Neshīn | Helmand | 25,600 |
| 38 | Qarāwul | Kunduz | 24,544 |
| 39 | Jurm | Badakhshan | 23,064 |
| 40 | Nahrīn | Baghlan | 22,363 |
| 41 | Baraki Barak | Logar | 22,305 |
| 42 | Ārt Khwājah | Takhar | 18,623 |
| 43 | Eslam Qaleh | Herat | 18,086 |
| 44 | Karukh | Herat | 17,484 |
| 45 | Mehtar Lām | Laghman | 17,345 |
| 46 | Kushk | Herat | 16,952 |
| 47 | Shahrak | Ghowr | 15,967 |
| 48 | Āsmār | Kunar | 15,708 |
| 49 | Sang-e Chārak | Sar-e Pol Province | 15,377 |
| 50 | Khāsh | Nimroz | 15,133 |
Twenty years earlier: Afghanistan in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 25,936,491.
Common questions
What is the population of Afghanistan?
Afghanistan has a population of 45,047,069, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 76,885,135 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Afghanistan?
Kabul.