Home Compare Afghanistan vs Yemen

Afghanistan vs Yemen

Afghanistan and Yemen side by side: live population, demographics, economy, environment and digital indicators from the UN and the World Bank, plus charts that overlay the full history of both countries. Change either country to compare any pair.

At a glance

Live population · UN WPP
Flag of Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Asia · #36 of 238 by population
Live population
45,400,942
+2.7% a year · full profile · atlas
vs
Flag of Yemen

Yemen

Asia · #37 of 238 by population
Live population
43,303,858
+2.8% a year · full profile · atlas
Afghanistan has 1× the population of Yemen (51.2% vs 48.8% of the two combined).

Afghanistan vs Yemen: 28 indicators side by side

Latest available figures · October 2026
IndicatorAfghanistanYemenDifference
👥 Population
Population
people
45,400,94243,303,858Afghanistan 1×
Population growth rate
% per year
+2.7+2.80 pts
Population density
people per km²
69.52026822026-12.5
Surface area
km²
652,8702023527,9702023Afghanistan 1.2×
Birth rate
births per 1,000 people
35202434.42024+0.6
Death rate
deaths per 1,000 people
5.720244.72024+1
Net migration rate
per 1,000 people per year
-1.2-0.5-0.7
Urban population
% of population
25.92025372025-11.1 pts
Sex ratio
males per 100 females
102.1102.7-0.6
❤️ Demographics & Health
Life expectancy
years
66.3202469.42024-3.1
Fertility rate
births per woman
4.7620244.52024+0.26
Median age
years
17.418.5-1.1
Infant mortality
deaths per 1,000 live births
4029.9+10.1
Population under 15
% of population
42.62025412025+1.5 pts
Population aged 65+
% of population
2.420252.52025-0.1 pts
💰 Economy
GDP
current US$
$17.78B2024$21.61B2018Yemen 1.2×
GDP per capita
current US$
$4172024$6342018Yemen 1.5×
Unemployment rate
% of labor force
13.4202517.32025-4 pts
Inflation rate
% annual, consumer prices
-6.620248.12014-14.7 pts
🌱 Environment & Energy
CO₂ emissions
Mt CO₂ per year
12.07202410.582024Afghanistan 1.1×
CO₂ emissions per capita
tonnes per person
0.2820240.262024+0.02
Energy use per capita
kg of oil equivalent per person
–1552023–
Renewable energy share
% of final energy
2020223.72021+16.3 pts
Forest area
% of land area
1.9202312023+0.8 pts
Freshwater resources per capita
m³ per person per year
1,1622022552022Afghanistan 21×
Water stress
% of resources withdrawn
432022169.82022-126.7 pts
📶 Digital
Internet users
% of population
16.1202417.52019-1.4 pts
Mobile subscriptions
per 100 people
60.1202450.92023+9.2

▲ marks the higher value (for death rate, infant mortality, unemployment, inflation, CO₂ and water stress: the lower value). "Difference" is the ratio for absolute measures and Afghanistan minus Yemen for rates and shares. Years in grey are the latest available for that country.

Afghanistan compared with Yemen

Updated October 2026

Afghanistan has a live population of about 45,400,942 (#36 in the world) and Yemen about 43,303,858 (#37), so Afghanistan has 1 times as many people as Yemen. Afghanistan is growing at 2.7% a year and Yemen at 2.8%.

By area Afghanistan is larger: 652,870 km² against 527,970 km², which gives population densities of 69.5 people per km² in Afghanistan and 82 in Yemen.

Afghanistan's economy is worth $17.78B (2024) and Yemen's $21.61B (2018); per person that is $417 in Afghanistan versus $634 in Yemen, so the average Yemen resident produces 1.5 times as much.

Life expectancy is 66.3 years in Afghanistan and 69.4 in Yemen; women have 4.8 children on average in Afghanistan compared with 4.5 in Yemen; the median age is 17.4 versus 18.5 years.

25.9% of Afghanistan's people live in cities against 37% in Yemen; 16.1% use the internet in Afghanistan and 17.5% in Yemen; CO₂ emissions per person are 0.3 t in Afghanistan and 0.3 t in Yemen.

Population over time

Afghanistan vs Yemen
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Life expectancy & fertility

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Birth & death rates

Afghanistan vs Yemen
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Age structure

Afghanistan vs Yemen
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CO₂ emissions

Afghanistan vs Yemen
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Energy use & renewables

Afghanistan vs Yemen
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Forest area

Afghanistan vs Yemen
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Urban population

Afghanistan vs Yemen
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Water resources & stress

Afghanistan vs Yemen
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Economy

Afghanistan vs Yemen
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Unemployment & inflation

Afghanistan vs Yemen
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Internet & mobile

Afghanistan vs Yemen
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Frequently asked questions

Which is bigger, Afghanistan or Yemen?

By population Afghanistan is bigger: 45,400,942 people versus 43,303,858 (live estimates, October 2026). By area Afghanistan is larger (652,870 km² vs 527,970 km²).

Which has the larger economy, Afghanistan or Yemen?

Yemen: GDP of $21,606,160,663 versus $17,778,508,876 in current US dollars (World Bank, 2024/2018).

Where do people live longer, Afghanistan or Yemen?

Life expectancy at birth is 66.3 years in Afghanistan and 69.4 years in Yemen, a difference of 3.1 years in favour of Yemen.

How are these comparisons calculated?

Live populations extrapolate the UN World Population Prospects baseline with each country's growth rate; every other figure is the latest value published by World Bank Open Data (or the UN for median age, infant mortality and migration). Each row shows the year of the figure, and the charts below overlay the full historical series of both countries.

Explore more

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Sources & method: live populations are linear extrapolations of the UN World Population Prospects estimates; all other indicators are the latest values from World Bank Open Data (UN WPP for median age, infant mortality, sex ratio and net migration). Figures are statistical estimates, not census counts. Page generated 2026-10-19. More about our data.