Quick facts
Herāt overview
Herāt (orange) and the other large cities of Afghanistan
Herāt lies in Herat in Afghanistan at 34.35°N, 62.2°E, about 927 m above sea level. The local time zone is Asia/Kabul (UTC+4:30); GeoNames classifies it as a regional capital.
It is smaller than Kabul (4,434,550) and larger than Mazār-e Sharīf (523,300). The largest city in Afghanistan is Kabul with 4,434,550 people; the capital, Kabul, has 4,434,550.
The national capital, Kabul, is about 640 km away.
Afghanistan as a whole has a live population of 45,402,655 (+2.7% a year) and ranks #36 of 238 countries — see the Afghanistan population page for the full statistics and the Afghanistan atlas for provinces, terrain and society maps.
Largest cities in Afghanistan
| # | City | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KabulCapital | 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 | Bagrām | Parwan | 113,173 |
| 10 | Baghlān | Baghlan | 108,449 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Herāt?
Herāt has about 574,300 inhabitants according to the latest official census or estimate compiled by GeoNames. This is the city proper; the metropolitan area is larger.
Is Herāt the capital of Afghanistan?
No. The capital of Afghanistan is Kabul (4,434,550 people), about 640 km away. Herāt is the 2nd largest city of the country and a regional capital.
How big is Herāt compared with the rest of Afghanistan?
Its 574,300 residents are 1.3% of the 45,402,655 people living in Afghanistan today. Kabul is larger with 4,434,550 people.
Where is Herāt?
In Herat, Afghanistan, at latitude 34.35 and longitude 62.2, 927 m above sea level.
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Cite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Herāt Population 2026 — Afghanistan. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/afghanistan/herat/<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/afghanistan/herat/">Herāt Population 2026 — Afghanistan</a> — GlostatsFigures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.
City populations are GeoNames figures (CC BY 4.0): the latest official census or estimate for the city proper — the municipality, not the wider metropolitan area — so they can differ from "metro area" numbers you see elsewhere. Country populations are live Glostats estimates from the UN World Population Prospects. Distances are great-circle distances between city centres. Page generated 2026-10-20. More about our data.