Afghanistan's birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people) was 35.01 in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 11.7% from 39.65 in 2014 (1.24% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 35.01 | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | 37.14 | 2019 |
| Ten years earlier | 39.65 | 2014 |
| Highest | 55.19 | 1981 |
| Lowest | 35.01 | 2024 |
| Average since 2015 | 37.05 | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | 50.52 | 1960 |
What the numbers say
In 2024, Afghanistan's birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people) fell 0.43 on 2023 (from 35.44 to 35.01).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −0.51 and a typical year strayed about 0.67 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1.73 in 1981 and the biggest yearly fall was 3.21 in 1982. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 0.47 a year. A straight line explains 99% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
A straight-line projection, tested first
Extending that straight line gives about 33.48 for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 0.26, against 0.85 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.
See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.
How it compares
In 2024, Afghanistan had the 9th highest value of the 217 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 35.01 | 2024 |
| World | 16.27 | 2024 |
| Low income | 34.04 | 2024 |
Closest to Afghanistan in the 2024 ranking
- Mali — 6th of 217: 39.53
- Angola — 7th of 217: 37.16
- Mozambique — 8th of 217: 37.03
- Tanzania — 10th of 217: 34.8
- Uganda — 11th of 217: 34.44
- Yemen, Rep. — 12th of 217: 34.36
What this measures
Crude birth rate indicates the number of live births occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.
Limitations: Vital registers are the preferred source for these data, but in many developing countries systems for registering births and deaths are absent or incomplete because of deficiencies in the coverage of events or geographic areas. Many developing countries carry out special household surveys that ask respondents about recent births and deaths. Estimates derived in this way are subject to sampling errors and recall errors.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 65 values
| Year | Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people) |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 35.01 |
| 2023 | 35.44 |
| 2022 | 36.05 |
| 2021 | 36.34 |
| 2020 | 36.6 |
| 2019 | 37.14 |
| 2018 | 37.62 |
| 2017 | 38.17 |
| 2016 | 38.73 |
| 2015 | 39.36 |
| 2014 |
Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in nearby economies
More health data for Afghanistan
- Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 15.55% (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 15.91% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female — 9.12 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 42.04% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male — 9.54 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 43.07% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total — 18.66 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 42.56% (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 13.99% (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Afghanistan's birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people)?
- 35.01 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1960?
- It is down 30.7% from 50.52 in 1960 (0.57% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 55.19 in 1981 and the lowest 35.01 in 2024.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SP.DYN.CBRT.IN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division; Statistical databases and publications from national statistical offices, National Statistical Offices (NSOs); Demographic Statistics, Eurostat (ESTAT); Population and Vital Statistics Report (various years), United… Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
Legal entity
Devansh Yadav
Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Governing law: Courts at Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Phone: +91 8433475698
Legal: legal@analyzeit.in