In 2015, it had an official population of 51,075. in 2018 the population was 164,600. There were 5,675 total number of dwellings in a total land area of 2,990 hectares. The city's distance from Kabul is 349 km.
A 1983 estimate puts the population as 40% Uzbek, 25% Pashtun (10% Durrani, 5% Eastern Pashtuns, 10% non-Durrani Pashtuns), 10% Shi'a Hazaras, 20% Aimaqs and Tajiks, and 5% Arabs.
The Taliban overran and captured the city on 8 August 2021 as part of their 2021 offensive.