Afghanistan vs United States: Compare Statistics
Side-by-side comparison of 109 key metrics across economy, population, geography, and more — latest data through 2026.
Summary
Comparing Afghanistan and United States: Afghanistan leads on Electricity Installed Capacity (634,100) against United States (1.09); Afghanistan leads on Refined Petroleum Products Imports (34,210) against United States (2.17); United States leads on Civil Air Travel (8,252) against Afghanistan (2). Across 109 compared metrics, Afghanistan wins on 32 and United States wins on 68.
- Communications: 6 metrics compared
- Economy: 44 metrics compared
- Environment: 5 metrics compared
- Geography: 5 metrics compared
- Government: 4 metrics compared
- Health: 9 metrics compared
- Military and Security: 1 metric compared
- People and Society: 30 metrics compared
- Transportation: 5 metrics compared
Communications
6 metrics| Metric | 🇦🇫 Afghanistan | 🇺🇸 United States | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet Usage Rate by Country (% of Population) | 17.71 % | 93.14 %★ | |
| Internet Users | percent of population: 18% (2023 est.) | percent of population: 93% (2023 est.) | |
| Press Freedom Index Score | 17.88 points | 65.49 points★ | |
| Radios | 167,000★ | 575 | |
| Televisions | 100,000★ | 219 | |
| Waterways | 1,200 | 41,009★ |
Economy
44 metricsEnvironment
5 metrics| Metric | 🇦🇫 Afghanistan | 🇺🇸 United States | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual CO₂ Emissions Growth (abs) | 309,679 | -14.29M★ | |
| Carbon Dioxide Emissions | 7.76 | 4.8★ | |
| Population Distribution | populations tend to cluster in the foothills and periphery of the rugged Hindu Kush range; smaller groups are found in many of the country's interior valleys; in general, the east is more densely settled, while the south is sparsely populated | large urban clusters are spread throughout the eastern half of the US (particularly the Great Lakes area, northeast, east, and southeast) and the western-tier states; mountainous areas such as the Rocky Mountains and Appalachians, deserts in the southwest | |
| Total Renewable Groundwater Resources by Country | 10.65 Cubic meters per year | 1,383 Cubic meters per year★ | |
| Total Renewable Water Resources | 65.33★ | 3.07 |
Geography
5 metrics| Metric | 🇦🇫 Afghanistan | 🇺🇸 United States | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Percentage of land area by degree of urbanization | 2.35 %★ | 2.11 % | |
| Agricultural land | 387,372 sq. km | 4.17M sq. km★ | |
| Coastline Length (km) | 0 km | 19,924 km★ | |
| Dam capacity per capita | 43.87 cubic meters per inhabitant | 2,113 cubic meters per inhabitant★ | |
| Irrigated Land | 24,930 | 234,782★ |
Government
4 metrics| Metric | 🇦🇫 Afghanistan | 🇺🇸 United States | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rule of Law Index by Country | 6.1 % | 88.3 %★ | |
| Administrative Divisions | 34 | 50★ | |
| Independence | 19★ | 4 | |
| Suffrage Participation Rate | 18 | 18 |
Health
9 metrics| Metric | 🇦🇫 Afghanistan | 🇺🇸 United States | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes Prevalence (% of Population) | 11.7 | 13.7★ | |
| Health Expenditure (% of GDP) | 21.8 % of GDP★ | 16.6 % of GDP | |
| HIV/AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate | (2021 est.) <0.1% | NA | |
| Hospital Bed Density | 0.4 people/sq km | 2.7 people/sq km★ | |
| Maternal Mortality Ratio (%) | 521 % | 17 %★ | |
| Mean Age at First Birth | 19.9 | 27.5★ | |
| Obesity Adult Prevalence Rate (%) | 5.5 %★ | 36.2 % | |
| People Living With HIV/AIDS | 12,000 | NA | |
| Underweight Children Under 5 | 18.4 | 0.4★ |
Military and Security
1 metric| Metric | 🇦🇫 Afghanistan | 🇺🇸 United States | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Armed Forces Personnel (PPP) | 165,000 | 1.40M★ |
People and Society
30 metrics| Metric | 🇦🇫 Afghanistan | 🇺🇸 United States | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Currently married (Percent) | 65.73 %★ | 51.38 % | |
| Human Capital Index | 0.42 | 0.72★ | |
| Life expectancy at birth | 69.52 years | 83.22 years★ | |
| Median age of population | 17.46 years | 38.79 years★ | |
| Population Change | 1.50M persons | 2.26M persons★ | |
| Population density | 68.74 per sq. km | 38.15 per sq. km★ | |
| Total population | 45.04M persons | 349.13M persons★ | |
| Academic Freedom Index | 0.09 | 0.4★ | |
| Average Female Breast Size by Country: Worldwide Data & Rankings | A | C★ | |
| Birth Rate (%) | 35.99 %★ | 10.75 % | |
| Contraceptive Prevalence Rate | 18.9 % | 73.9 %★ | |
| Death Rate (%) | 5.79 %★ | 8.76 % | |
| Education Expenditure (% of GDP) | 4.3 % of GDP | 5.4 % of GDP★ | |
| Female population of reproductive age | 10.79M persons | 78.56M persons★ | |
| Labor Force Participation Rate | 9.13 | 174.17★ | |
| Learning-adjusted years of school | 5.41 years | 11.07 years★ | |
| Length of paid parental leave for mother | 0 days | 183.4 days★ | |
| Major Urban Areas Population | 4.59 people | 18.94 people★ | |
| Mean Male Height (cm) | 165.26 | 177.13★ | |
| Military Manpower at Military Age | 22★ | 18 | |
| Military Service Age and Obligation | service is voluntary; there is no conscription (2023) note: the Taliban dismissed nearly all women from the former Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, except those serving in detention facilities and assisting with body searches | 17 | |
| Percentage of population by degree of urbanization | 82.81 %★ | 74.52 % | |
| Physician Density | 0.32 people/sq km | 3.68 people/sq km★ | |
| Population Growth Rate | 2.86 %★ | 0.45 % | |
| Population living in slums | 74.25 %★ | 0.05 % | |
| Total deaths | 213,986.9 persons★ | 2.87M persons | |
| Total demand for family planning (Percent) | 36.45 % | 65.73 %★ | |
| Total fertility rate | 4.57 per woman★ | 1.61 per woman | |
| Total net-migration | 192,894.5 persons | 1.49M persons★ | |
| Under-five mortality rate | 50.42 per live births | 5.52 per live births★ |
Transportation
5 metrics| Metric | 🇦🇫 Afghanistan | 🇺🇸 United States | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Travel Trips Per Capita (PPP) | 0.04 | 2.06★ | |
| Airports | 68 | 16,116★ | |
| Annual Human Space Visits (Total) | 0 | 3★ | |
| Civil Air Travel | 2 | 8,252★ | |
| Heliports | 8 | 8,130★ |