Afghanistan vs Iran

Afghanistan vs Iran: GDP growth

GDP growth: 1.9% a year in Afghanistan in 2024 and -0.9% a year in Iran in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Iran, by 1.8 percentage points, or 1.96 times that in Afghanistan.

Watch it change on the map

% a year · IMF

Afghanistan vs Iran: GDP growthGDP growth: 1.9% a year in Afghanistan in 2024 and -0.9% a year in Iran in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Iran, by 1.8 percentage points, or 1.96 times that in Afghanistan.
AfghanistanIranIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

  • Iran has been higher since 2020, when it overtook Afghanistan.
  • The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Afghanistan at 1.5% a year in 2025.
  • The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Iran at 2% a year in 2031.

Every year

% a year · IMF

YearAfghanistanIran
20251.5-0.9
20241.93.7
20232.35.3
2022-6.24.4
2021-14.54.1
2020-2.44.4
20193.9-2.4
20181.2-3.7
20172.63
20162.26.5
20151-1.4
20142.75
20135.7-1.5
201214-3.7
20116.55.7
20108.45.8
200920.61
20083.90.3
200713.38.2
20065.45
200511.83.2
20040.74.3
20038.78.6
2002–8.1
2001–2.4
2000–5.8
1999–2
1998–2.1
1997–1.4
1996–6.4
1995–2.4
1994–-1.7
1993–-1.5
1992–3.3
1991–12.7
1990–13.6
1989–6.1
1988–-6.1
1987–-0.2
1986–-9.8
1985–1.9
1984–-7.1
1983–11.1
1982–23.2
1981–-5.7
1980–-21.6
  • 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
YearAfghanistanIran
2026–-7.6
2027–3.6
2028–1.5
2029–1.8
2030–2
2031–2

Each country on its own

Good to know

  • How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
  • Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
  • The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
  • Ranks count the 143 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time

Afghanistan vs Iran

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