AFN
…
PKR
…
Land Area
Pakistan
881,913 km²
Largest
Afghanistan
652,230 km²
74.0% of largest
Pakistan is 1.35× larger than Afghanistan
Population
Pakistan
LARGEST
255.22M
PEOPLE
Afghanistan
17.2% OF LARGEST
43.84M
PEOPLE
Pakistan has 5.82× the population of Afghanistan
GDP
Pakistan
LARGEST
$407.31B
Afghanistan
4.2% OF LARGEST
$17.1B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
Pakistan
LARGEST
654K
TROOPS
Afghanistan
27.5% OF LARGEST
180K
TROOPS
Pakistan has 3.63× the active personnel of Afghanistan
Air Force
Pakistan
LARGEST
1.39K
AIRCRAFT
Afghanistan
12.0% OF LARGEST
167
AIRCRAFT
Pakistan has 8.31× the aircraft of Afghanistan
Naval Assets
Pakistan
Afghanistan
Wealth
Gold Reserves
Pakistan
LARGEST
64.7
Metric Tonnes
Afghanistan
33.8% OF LARGEST
21.9
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
Pakistan
LARGEST
$13B
Reserves · excl. gold
Afghanistan
64.6% OF LARGEST
$8B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
Afghanistan
—
Pakistan
0% OF MOST
0
billionaires
Oil
Proven Reserves
Pakistan
LARGEST
0.4
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
Pakistan
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.1M b/d
Consumption
0.6M b/d
−0.5M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
Afghanistan
$2.9B
Exports
$2.9B
Imports
$8.7B
Trade Balance
$-5.8B
Trade Deficit
Pakistan
$38.6B
Exports
$38.6B
Imports
$63.9B
Trade Balance
$-25.3B
Trade Deficit
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
Afghanistan
supply
Pakistan
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
Afghanistan
supply
Pakistan
consumption
Beer
litres / person / yr
Pakistan
consumption
Afghanistan
supply
Wine
litres / person / yr
Afghanistan
supply
Pakistan
consumption
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
Pakistan
consumption
Afghanistan
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
Pakistan
Afghanistan
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
Pakistan
4
Gold
3
Silver
4
Bronze
11
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 11
❄ Winter: 0
Afghanistan
0
Gold
0
Silver
2
Bronze
2
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 2
❄ Winter: 0
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
Afghanistan
Pakistan
Age Demographics
Median Age
Pakistan
23.8
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Afghanistan
18.4
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
Pakistan is 5.4 years older (median) than Afghanistan
Youth Population
Afghanistan has the highest youth population at 70% (under 30)
Elderly Population
Pakistan has the highest elderly population at 7% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
Afghanistan
|
Pakistan
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations | — |
33
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year | — |
1.9M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
0
|
2
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
2
|
6
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
Afghanistan
|
Pakistan
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
|
| Rent Index |
|
|
| Groceries Index |
|
|
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
|
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $2 | $2 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $10 | $12 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $200 | $200 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $100 | $120 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $40 | $45 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $25 | $20 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $10 | $15 |
Health
Healthcare spending, capacity and outcomes. Sources: World Bank / WHO — the year tag shows each figure’s vintage; “—” means the country doesn’t report that metric.
Health spending / person
Afghanistan
Pakistan
Physicians per 1,000
Pakistan
Afghanistan
Hospital beds per 1,000
Pakistan
Afghanistan
Diabetes prevalence
Pakistan
Afghanistan
Obesity prevalence
Pakistan
Afghanistan
Suicide rate per 100k
Pakistan
Afghanistan
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for Afghanistan vs Pakistan — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | Afghanistan | Pakistan |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 43844111 | 255219554 |
| Area (sq km) | 652230 | 881913 |
| Capital | Kabul | Islamabad |
| Official Language | Pashto, Dari | Urdu and English (official), Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi |
| Currency | Afghan Afghani (AFN) | Pakistani Rupee (PKR) |
| Government Type | Unitary presidential Islamic republic | Federal parliamentary constitutional republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | Afghanistan | Pakistan |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 180,000 | 654,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 0 | 550,000 |
| Total Military Personnel | 180,000 | 1,204,000 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $2,800,000,000 | $12,300,000,000 |
| Tanks | 150 | 2,824 |
| Armored Vehicles | 2,000 | 4,686 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 85 | 570 |
| Towed Artillery | 150 | 1,467 |
| Rocket Projectors | 50 | 366 |
Economy
| Metric | Afghanistan | Pakistan |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $17,100,000,000 | $407,307,214,476 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $390 | $1,596 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 13.4% | 5.4% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 29.4 | 33.5 |
| Currency | Afghan Afghani (AFN) | Pakistani Rupee (PKR) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
Pakistan is 1.4 times larger in area than Afghanistan.
Pakistan has 5.8 times more people than Afghanistan.
Pakistan has the highest GDP per capita at $1,596 among the selected countries.
Pakistan has the largest economy with a GDP of
$407.31 billion.
Pakistan has the largest active military personnel with 654,000 troops.
Pakistan has the largest air force with 1,387 aircraft.
Pakistan has the largest navy with 114 vessels.
Afghanistan vs Pakistan: Key Comparisons
Economy: Pakistan's GDP of $407B is 23.8x larger than Afghanistan's $17B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: Pakistan's population of 255M is 5.8x larger than Afghanistan's 44M.
Area: Pakistan covers 881,913 km², making it 1.4x larger than Afghanistan.
Military: Pakistan fields 650Thousand active troops vs Afghanistan's 180Thousand.
Trade: Afghanistan has a trade deficit of $6B while Pakistan has a trade deficit of $25B.
Life Expectancy: Pakistan leads with a life expectancy of 68 years vs Afghanistan's 66.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology