Quick facts
Kandahār overview
Kandahār (orange) and the other large cities of Afghanistan
Kandahār lies in Kandahar in Afghanistan at 31.61°N, 65.71°E, about 1,007 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 Mazār-e Sharīf (523,300) and larger than Jalālābād (271,900). 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 457 km away; the nearest large city is Gereshk, 110 km from Kandahār.
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.
Cities near Kandahār
| City | Distance | Population |
|---|---|---|
| Gereshk Helmand | 110 km | 43,588 |
| Lashkar Gāh Helmand | 127 km | 43,934 |
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 Kandahār?
Kandahār has about 523,300 inhabitants according to the latest official census or estimate compiled by GeoNames. This is the city proper; the metropolitan area is larger.
Is Kandahār the capital of Afghanistan?
No. The capital of Afghanistan is Kabul (4,434,550 people), about 457 km away. Kandahār is the 4th largest city of the country and a regional capital.
How big is Kandahār compared with the rest of Afghanistan?
Its 523,300 residents are 1.2% of the 45,402,655 people living in Afghanistan today. Kabul is larger with 4,434,550 people.
Where is Kandahār?
In Kandahar, Afghanistan, at latitude 31.61 and longitude 65.71, 1,007 m above sea level. Nearby large cities include Gereshk (110 km), Lashkar Gāh (127 km).
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Cite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Kandahār Population 2026 — Afghanistan. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/afghanistan/kandahar/<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/afghanistan/kandahar/">Kandahār 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.