Afghanistan vs United Arab Emirates: Urban population

Urban population in 2025: 25.9% in Afghanistan and 86% in United Arab Emirates, by UN estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United Arab Emirates, by 60 percentage points, or 3.31 times that in Afghanistan.

Watch it change on the map

% of people · UN

AfghanistanUnited Arab EmiratesUN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025)

What the numbers say

United Arab Emirates has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1950.
In 2025, Afghanistan ranked 214 and United Arab Emirates ranked 48 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
The UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) puts Afghanistan at 41.2% and United Arab Emirates at 87.9% in 2050.

Every year

% of people · UN

Year	Afghanistan	United Arab Emirates
2025	25.9	86
2024	25.7	85.8
2023	25.5	85.7
2022	25.4	85.5
2021	25.4	85.4
2020	25.3	85.2
2019	25.1	85
2018	25	84.9
2017	24.8	84.7
2016	24.7	84.5
2015	24.5	84.3
2014	24.2	84.1
2013	23.8	84
2012	23.3	83.8
2011	22.8	83.6
2010	22.3	83.4
2009	21.7	83.2
2008	21.1	83
2007	20.6	82.8
2006	20.1	82.6
2005	19.7	82.2
2004	19.4	81.5
2003	19.2	80.9
2002	18.9	80.3
2001	18.7	79.8
2000	18.6	79.3
1999	18.4	78.9
1998	18.2	78.6
1997	18.1	78.4
1996	18	78.3
1995	17.8	78.3
1994	17.7	78.3
1993	17.6	78.4
1992	17.5	78.4
1991	17.4	78.6
1990	17.3	78.7
1989	17.2	78.8
1988	17	79
1987	16.9	79.2
1986	16.8	79.3
1985	16.6	79.5
1984	16.5	79.7
1983	16.3	80
1982	16.1	80.3
1981	15.9	80.7
1980	15.7	81.1
1979	15.4	81.8
1978	15.1	82.6
1977	14.7	83.4
1976	14.3	83.9
1975	13.8	83.9
1974	13.2	83.7
1973	12.7	83.2
1972	12.2	82.6
1971	11.7	82
1970	11.2	81.2
1969	10.9	80.5
1968	10.5	79.8
1967	10.2	79.2
1966	9.8	78.5
1965	9.5	77.8
1964	9.2	77.1
1963	8.9	76.3
1962	8.7	75.5
1961	8.4	74.5
1960	8.1	73.5
1959	7.9	72.3
1958	7.6	70.9
1957	7.3	69.4
1956	7.1	67.7
1955	6.8	65.8
1954	6.6	63.8
1953	6.3	61.6
1952	6.1	59.4
1951	5.9	57
1950	5.8	54.5

UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025) · 2026–2050

Year	Afghanistan	United Arab Emirates
2026	26.2	86.1
2027	26.5	86.2
2028	26.8	86.4
2029	27.2	86.5
2030	27.6	86.6
2031	28	86.7
2032	28.5	86.8
2033	28.9	87
2034	29.5	87.1
2035	30	87.2
2036	30.5	87.2
2037	31.1	87.3
2038	31.8	87.4
2039	32.4	87.5
2040	33.1	87.6
2041	33.8	87.6
2042	34.5	87.7
2043	35.2	87.7
2044	36	87.8
2045	36.8	87.8
2046	37.6	87.8
2047	38.5	87.9
2048	39.4	87.9
2049	40.3	87.9
2050	41.2	87.9

Each country on its own

Good to know

The share of people living in places the country itself counts as urban.
Source: UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025.
The dashed line is the UN projection (World Urbanization Prospects 2025), a scenario rather than a forecast.
Ranks count the 229 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 United Arab Emirates

Health

People

Economy

Education

Politics

Conflict

Deaths in conflictsAfghanistan: 1,498 deaths in 2022United Arab Emirates: 3 deaths in 2022