Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burma instead of Afghanistan, you would:
Health
live 0.8 years longer
In Afghanistan, the average life expectancy is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Burma, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
be 60.5% less likely to be obese
In Afghanistan, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burma, that number is 8.1% of people as of 2024.
have 26.8% more access to essential health services
Afghanistan scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burma scores 52 as of 2021.
be 19.7% less likely to die by suicide
Afghanistan has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burma, it is 2.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 14.1% less spent on your healthcare
Afghanistan spends $330 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burma spends $283 as of 2023.
Economy
be 77.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Afghanistan, 13.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burma, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
be 47.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Afghanistan, 47.1% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Burma, however, that number is 24.8% as of 2017.
make 3.6 times more money
Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $417 as of 2024, while in Burma, the GDP per capita is $1,489 as of 2025.
Life
be 64.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Afghanistan, approximately 521.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Burma, 185.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.5 times more likely to be literate
In Afghanistan, the literacy rate is 37.3% as of 2021. In Burma, it is 93.5% as of 2020.
be 32.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Afghanistan, approximately 48.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Burma, on the other hand, 32.8 children do as of 2024.
have 53.0% fewer children
In Afghanistan, there are approximately 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burma, there are 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.7 times more likely to have internet access
In Afghanistan, approximately 16.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burma, about 44.0% do as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 31.0% less on education
Afghanistan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Burma spends 2.0% of total GDP on education as of 2019.
spend 70.2% less on healthcare
Afghanistan spends 15.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burma, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 36.0% less likely to be murdered
Afghanistan has a homicide rate of 4.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burma, that number is 2.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 19.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Afghanistan, road accidents kill 24.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burma, they kill 19.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 35.9 times more home broadband
Afghanistan has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Burma has 2.9 as of 2024.
live with 89.4% less strain on fresh water
Afghanistan withdraws 55% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burma withdraws 6% as of 2022.
Environment
be 50.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Afghanistan, air pollution causes 143.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burma, it causes 71.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.1 times more CO2
Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burma emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Afghanistan vs. Burma
Burma: At a glance
How big is Burma compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.