CELEBRITY

Afghan Girl

1972 - Today

Afghan Girl

Sharbat Gula (Pashto: شربت ګله; born c. 1972) is an Afghan woman who became internationally recognized as the subject in Afghan Girl, a 1984 portrait taken by American photojournalist Steve McCurry that was later published as the cover photograph for the June 1985 issue of National Geographic. The portrait was shot at Nasir Bagh, Pakistan, while Gula was residing there as an Afghan refugee fleeing the Soviet–Afghan War. Despite the photograph's high global recognition, Gula's identity remained unknown until 2002, when her whereabouts were verified and she was photographed for the second time in her life. Having lived and raised a family in Pakistan for 35 years, Gula was arrested by Pakistani authorities in 2016 and subsequently deported to Afghanistan in 2017 on the charge of possessing forged identity documents. Read more on Wikipedia

Her biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Afghan Girl is the 96th most popular celebrity (down from 88th in 2019), the 104th most popular biography from Afghanistan (down from 86th in 2019) and the most popular Afghan Celebrity.

Memorability Metrics

Page views of Afghan Girl by language

Among CELEBRITIES

Among celebrities, Afghan Girl ranks 96 out of 265. Before her are Marita Lindahl, Barbara Karinska, Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper, Christine Keeler, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, and Manolo el del bombo. After her are Kourtney Kardashian, Natascha Kampusch, Georgina Rizk, Jane Morris, Sally Hemings, and Tinka Kurti.

Most Popular Celebrities in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings

Marita Lindahl
1938 - 2017
HPI: 59.21
Rank: 90
Barbara Karinska
1886 - 1983
HPI: 59.12
Rank: 91
Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper
1890 - Present
HPI: 59.01
Rank: 92
Christine Keeler
1942 - 2017
HPI: 59.01
Rank: 93
Nicky Hilton Rothschild
1983 - Present
HPI: 58.86
Rank: 94
Manolo el del bombo
1949 - 2025
HPI: 58.85
Rank: 95
Afghan Girl
1972 - Present
HPI: 58.85
Rank: 96
Kourtney Kardashian
1979 - Present
HPI: 58.84
Rank: 97
Natascha Kampusch
1988 - Present
HPI: 58.82
Rank: 98
Georgina Rizk
1953 - Present
HPI: 58.75
Rank: 99
Jane Morris
1839 - 1914
HPI: 58.59
Rank: 100
Sally Hemings
1773 - 1835
HPI: 58.30
Rank: 101
Tinka Kurti
1932 - Present
HPI: 58.28
Rank: 102

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1972, Afghan Girl ranks 112. Before her are Cat Power, Beth Hart, Christian Oliver, Gabriel Mann, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, and Rebecca Romijn. After her are Sofia Helin, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Özcan Deniz, Jonny Lee Miller, Victor Ponta, and Ari Behn.

Others Born in 1972

Go to all Rankings

Cat Power
SINGER
1972 - Present
HPI: 59.14
Rank: 106
Beth Hart
SINGER
1972 - Present
HPI: 59.12
Rank: 107
Christian Oliver
ACTOR
1972 - 2024
HPI: 59.07
Rank: 108
Gabriel Mann
ACTOR
1972 - Present
HPI: 59.02
Rank: 109
Umaro Sissoco Embaló
POLITICIAN
1972 - Present
HPI: 59.02
Rank: 110
Rebecca Romijn
ACTOR
1972 - Present
HPI: 58.99
Rank: 111
Afghan Girl
CELEBRITY
1972 - Present
HPI: 58.85
Rank: 112
Sofia Helin
ACTOR
1972 - Present
HPI: 58.82
Rank: 113
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
SOCCER PLAYER
1972 - Present
HPI: 58.75
Rank: 114
Özcan Deniz
ACTOR
1972 - Present
HPI: 58.66
Rank: 115
Jonny Lee Miller
ACTOR
1972 - Present
HPI: 58.65
Rank: 116
Victor Ponta
POLITICIAN
1972 - Present
HPI: 58.63
Rank: 117
Ari Behn
WRITER
1972 - 2019
HPI: 58.50
Rank: 118