KABUL, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's national population has climbed to 37.2 million, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 2.2 percent, according to official figures released by the country's National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) on Saturday.
The gender breakdown shows a slight male majority, with men constituting 51 percent of the population, while women account for the remaining 49 percent, local media outlet Ariana News quoted Mohammad Halim Rafi, spokesman for the authority, as saying.
Geographically, around 70 percent, nearly 26 million people, reside in rural areas, while 26 percent (9.8 million) live in urban centers. The remaining 4 percent are nomadic communities, according to the report.
Kabul remains the most populous province with 6.4 million residents, including 3.3 million men and 3.1 million women. Herat province ranks second with an estimated 2.4 million inhabitants.
According to the NSIA, Afghanistan's population stood at 36.4 million last year. ■
