Editing Demographics of Afghanistan (section)

== Population size and structure ==
{{Further|Afghan diaspora}}
Anatol Lieven of [[Georgetown University in Qatar]] wrote in 2021 that "it may be noted that in the whole of modern Afghan history there has never been a census that could be regarded as remotely reliable."<ref>{{cite journal|last=Lieven|first=Anatol|title=An Afghan Tragedy: The Pashtuns, the Taliban and the State|journal=[[Survival (journal)|Survival: Global Politics and Strategy]]|volume=63|year=2021|issue=3 |pages=7–36|doi=10.1080/00396338.2021.1930403|doi-access=free}}</ref>

=== Historical ===
[[File:Afghans at Ghazi Stadium in 2011.jpg|thumb|[[Sport in Afghanistan|Sport]] fans inside the [[Ghazi Stadium]] in the capital of [[Kabul]], which is [[multiethnic society|multi-ethnic]] and the largest city of Afghanistan.]]
The first and only nationwide census of Afghanistan was carried out in 1979. It revealed a population of 13,051,358 (rural 11,037,231, urban 2,014,127).<ref>https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/products/dyb/dybsets/1983%20DYB.pdf</ref> Previously there had been scattered attempts to conduct censuses in individual cities.<ref>[http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/census-ii CENSUS ii. In Afghanistan] [[Encyclopædia Iranica]]</ref> According to the 1876 census, [[Kabul]] had a population of 140,700 people.<ref>(Gazetteer of Afghanistan VI, p. 333).</ref> In [[Kandahar]] in 1891 a population census was carried out, according to which 31,514 people lived in the city, of which 16,064 were men and 15,450 were women.<ref>Kandahar Newsletter, 10 August 1891, IOR L/P & S/7/63/1295</ref>

From 1979 until the end of 1983, some 5 million people left the country to take shelter in neighbouring northwestern Pakistan and eastern Iran. This exodus was largely unchecked by any government. The Afghan government in 1983 reported a population of 15.96&nbsp;million, which presumably included the exodus.<ref name="U.S. Library of Congress">{{cite web |url=https://countrystudies.us/afghanistan/36.htm |title=Population |publisher=U.S. Library of Congress |year=2008 |access-date=12 October 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110719220830/https://countrystudies.us/afghanistan/36.htm |archive-date=19 July 2011 }}</ref>

It is assumed that roughly 600,000 to as high as 2 million Afghans may have been killed during the various 1979–2001 wars.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://necrometrics.com/20c1m.htm#Afghanistan |title=Afghanistan (1979–2001) |access-date=12 October 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110305175626/https://necrometrics.com/20c1m.htm#Afghanistan |archive-date=5 March 2011 }}</ref> These figures are questionable and no attempt has ever been made to verify if they were actually killed or had moved to neighbouring countries as refugees.<ref name="U.S. Library of Congress"/>

As no census has been performed after 1979 and millions of people may have left the country, the current population of Afghanistan can only be guessed.

=== Current and latest ===
As of 2021, the total population of Afghanistan is around 37.5 million,<ref name="Factbook">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/afghanistan/ |title=Afghanistan |work=The World Factbook |publisher=CIA |access-date=1 March 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/afghanistan-population/ |title=Afghanistan |work=Worldmeters |publisher=worldmeters.info |access-date=30 May 2019}}</ref> which includes the 3 million Afghan nationals living in both [[Afghans in Pakistan|Pakistan]] and [[Afghans in Iran|Iran]].<ref name="PAN-pop"/> About 26% of the population is [[urban area|urbanite]] and the remaining 74% lives in rural areas.<ref name="Factbook"/>

Afghanistan's [[Central Statistics Organization]] (CSO) stated in 2011 that the total number of Afghans living inside Afghanistan was about 26 million<ref name="PAN-pop">{{cite news |url=https://www.pajhwok.com/en/2011/11/20/afghanistans-population-reaches-26m |title=Afghanistan's population reaches 26m |publisher=Pajhwok Afghan News |editor=Mohammad Jawad Sharifzada |date=20 November 2011 |access-date=5 December 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130101074433/https://www.pajhwok.com/en/2011/11/20/afghanistans-population-reaches-26m |archive-date=1 January 2013}}</ref> and by 2017 it reached 29.2&nbsp;million. Of this, 15 million are males and 14.2&nbsp;million are females.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://pajhwok.com/photo/afghan-population-29-2-million/ |title=Afghan Population 29.2 Million |website=pajhwok.com|date=10 May 2017 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011103545/https://www.pajhwok.com/en/node/483787|archive-date=11 October 2017|last1=Hamdard |first1=Azizullah }}</ref> The country's population is expected to reach 82 million by 2050.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.prb.org/Countries/Afghanistan.aspx |title=Afghanistan – Population Reference Bureau |publisher=[[Population Reference Bureau]] |access-date=29 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202224051/http://www.prb.org/Countries/Afghanistan.aspx |archive-date=2 December 2013 }}</ref>

Urban areas have experienced rapid population growth in the last decade, which is due to the return of over 5 million [[expatriate|expats]]. The only city in Afghanistan with over a million residents is its capital, [[Kabul]].

=== Structure of the population ===
[[File:Afghan family Pashtun home.JPEG|thumb|An Afghan family from the Pashtun ethnicity in their home in Kabul]]
Structure of the population (2012.01.07) (Data refer to the settled population based on the 1979 Population Census and the latest household prelisting. The refugees of Afghanistan in Iran, Pakistan, and an estimated 1.5&nbsp;million nomads, are not included):<ref>{{cite web|url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2013.htm|title=United Nations Statistics Division – Demographic and Social Statistics|publisher=United Nations|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331074931/https://unstats.un.org/UNSD/Demographic/products/dyb/dyb2013.htm|archive-date=31 March 2016}}</ref>

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2012) (Data refer to the settled population based on the 1979 Population Census and the latest household prelisting. The refugees of Afghanistan in Iran, Pakistan, and an estimated 1.5 million nomads, are not included.):
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! width="80pt"|Age Group
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80pt"|Female
! width="90pt"|Total
! width="80pt"|%
|-
| align="right" | Total
| align="right" | 13,044,400
| align="right" | 12,455,700
| align="right" | 25,500,100
| align="right" | 100
|-
| align="right" | 0–4
| align="right" | 2,422,244
| align="right" | 2,556,304
| align="right" | 4,978,548
| align="right" | 19.52
|-
| align="right" | 5–9
| align="right" | 1,941,363
| align="right" | 1,880,407
| align="right" | 3,821,770
| align="right" | 14.99
|-
| align="right" | 10–14
| align="right" | 1,556,158
| align="right" | 1,401,695
| align="right" | 2,957,853
| align="right" | 11.60
|-
| align="right" | 15–19
| align="right" | 1,276,563
| align="right" | 1,140,810
| align="right" | 2,417,373
| align="right" | 9.48
|-
| align="right" | 20–24
| align="right" | 1,059,939
| align="right" | 1,009,807
| align="right" | 2,069,746
| align="right" | 8.12
|-
| align="right" | 25–29
| align="right" | 843 967
| align="right" | 864 738
| align="right" | 1,708,705
| align="right" | 6.70
|-
| align="right" | 30–34
| align="right" | 678 577
| align="right" | 745 534
| align="right" | 1,424,111
| align="right" | 5.58
|-
| align="right" | 35–39
| align="right" | 598 045
| align="right" | 652 326
| align="right" | 1,250,371
| align="right" | 4.90
|-
| align="right" | 40–44
| align="right" | 546 102
| align="right" | 533 524
| align="right" | 1,079,626
| align="right" | 4.23
|-
| align="right" | 45–49
| align="right" | 495 190
| align="right" | 440 789
| align="right" | 935 979
| align="right" | 3.67
|-
| align="right" | 50–54
| align="right" | 435 143
| align="right" | 354 633
| align="right" | 789 776
| align="right" | 3.10
|-
| align="right" | 55–59
| align="right" | 360 394
| align="right" | 275 468
| align="right" | 635 862
| align="right" | 2.49
|-
| align="right" | 60–64
| align="right" | 281 627
| align="right" | 209 152
| align="right" | 490 779
| align="right" | 1.92
|-
| align="right" | 65–69
| align="right" | 204 376
| align="right" | 150 137
| align="right" | 354 513
| align="right" | 1.39
|-
| align="right" | 70–74
| align="right" | 141 729
| align="right" | 102 048
| align="right" | 243 777
| align="right" | 0.96
|-
| align="right" | 75–79
| align="right" | 91 164
| align="right" | 64 658
| align="right" | 155 822
| align="right" | 0.61
|-
| align="right" | 80–84
| align="right" | 55 446
| align="right" | 38 699
| align="right" | 94 145
| align="right" | 0.37
|-
| align="right" | 85+
| align="right" | 56 373
| align="right" | 34 971
| align="right" | 91 344
| align="right" | 0.36
|-
! width="50" | Age group
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80" | Female
! width="80" | Total
! width="50" | Percent
|-
| align="right" | 0–14
| align="right" | 5,919,765
| align="right" | 5,838,406
| align="right" | 11,758,171
| align="right" | 46.11
|-
| align="right" | 15–64
| align="right" | 6,575,547
| align="right" | 6,226,781
| align="right" | 12,802,328
| align="right" | 50.21
|-
| align="right" | 65+
| align="right" | 549 088
| align="right" | 390 513
| align="right" | 939 601
| align="right" | 3.68
|}

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2020) (Data refer to the settled population based on the 1979 Population Census and the latest household prelisting. The refugees of Afghanistan in Iran, Pakistan, and an estimated 1.5 million nomads, are not included.):<ref>{{cite web |url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/products/dyb/dyb_2020/ |title=Demographic Yearbook – 2020 |publisher=[[United Nations Statistics Division]] |place=New York |access-date=18 May 2022}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! width="80pt"|Age Group
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80pt"|Female
! width="80pt"|Total
! width="80pt"|%
|-
| align="right" | Total
| align="right" | 15,981,303
| align="right" | 15,408,868
| align="right" | 31,390,171
| align="right" | 100
|-
| align="right" | 0–4
| align="right" | 2,853,288
| align="right" | 2,743,103
| align="right" | 5,596,391
| align="right" | 17.83
|-
| align="right" | 5–9
| align="right" | 2,542,405
| align="right" | 2,379,618
| align="right" | 4,922,023
| align="right" | 15.68
|-
| align="right" | 10–14
| align="right" | 2,220,065
| align="right" | 2,026,796
| align="right" | 4,246,861
| align="right" | 13.53
|-
| align="right" | 15–19
| align="right" | 1,840,432
| align="right" | 1,727,287
| align="right" | 3,567,719
| align="right" | 11.37
|-
| align="right" | 20–24
| align="right" | 1,371,188
| align="right" | 1,463,797
| align="right" | 2,834,985
| align="right" | 9.03
|-
| align="right" | 25–29
| align="right" | 1,079,117
| align="right" | 1,177,555
| align="right" | 2,256,672
| align="right" | 7.19
|-
| align="right" | 30–34
| align="right" | 828 055
| align="right" | 818 313
| align="right" | 1,646,368
| align="right" | 5.24
|-
| align="right" | 35–39
| align="right" | 674 920
| align="right" | 661 949
| align="right" | 1,336,869
| align="right" | 4.26
|-
| align="right" | 40–44
| align="right" | 577 135
| align="right" | 611 016
| align="right" | 1,188,151
| align="right" | 3.79
|-
| align="right" | 45–49
| align="right" | 480 700
| align="right" | 511 608
| align="right" | 992 308
| align="right" | 3.16
|-
| align="right" | 50–54
| align="right" | 381 772
| align="right" | 396 026
| align="right" | 777 798
| align="right" | 2.48
|-
| align="right" | 55–59
| align="right" | 320 024
| align="right" | 308 966
| align="right" | 628 990
| align="right" | 2.00
|-
| align="right" | 60–64
| align="right" | 286 732
| align="right" | 229 605
| align="right" | 516 337
| align="right" | 1.64
|-
| align="right" | 65–69
| align="right" | 222 590
| align="right" | 161 851
| align="right" | 384 441
| align="right" | 1.22
|-
| align="right" | 70–74
| align="right" | 150 436
| align="right" | 99 412
| align="right" | 249 848
| align="right" | 0.80
|-
| align="right" | 75–79
| align="right" | 70 271
| align="right" | 42 288
| align="right" | 112 559
| align="right" | 0.36
|-
| align="right" | 80–84
| align="right" | 48 540
| align="right" | 26 549
| align="right" | 75 089
| align="right" | 0.24
|-
| align="right" | 85+
| align="right" | 33 633
| align="right" | 23 129
| align="right" | 56 762
| align="right" | 0.18
|-
! width="50" | Age group
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80" | Female
! width="80" | Total
! width="50" | Percent
|-
| align="right" | 0–14
| align="right" | 7,615,758
| align="right" | 7,149,517
| align="right" | 14,765,275
| align="right" | 47.04
|-
| align="right" | 15–64
| align="right" | 7,840,075
| align="right" | 7,906,122
| align="right" | 15,746,197
| align="right" | 50.16
|-
| align="right" | 65+
| align="right" | 525 470
| align="right" | 353 229
| align="right" | 878 699
| align="right" | 2.80
|}