If you lived in Djibouti instead of Afghanistan, you would:

Health

be 43.4% less likely to be obese

In Afghanistan, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Djibouti, that number is 11.7% of people as of 2024.

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see 53.0% less spent on your healthcare

Afghanistan spends $330 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Djibouti spends $155 as of 2023.

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have 33.4% fewer doctors per person

Afghanistan has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Djibouti has 2.1 as of 2022.

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be 2.2 times more likely to die by suicide

Afghanistan has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Djibouti, it is 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 55.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Afghanistan, 47.1% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Djibouti, however, that number is 21.1% as of 2017.

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make 9.4 times more money

Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $417 as of 2024, while in Djibouti, the GDP per capita is $3,906 as of 2025.

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be 94.9% more likely to be unemployed

In Afghanistan, 13.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Djibouti, that number is 26.0% as of 2025.

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Life

be 68.9% 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 Djibouti, 162.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 11.0% 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 Djibouti, on the other hand, 43.0 children do as of 2024.

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have 40.2% fewer children

In Afghanistan, there are approximately 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Djibouti, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 4.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Afghanistan, approximately 16.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Djibouti, about 65.3% do as of 2024.

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be 23.6% less likely to have access to electricity

In Afghanistan, approximately 85% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Djibouti, that number is 65% of people on average (75% in urban areas, and 37% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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Expenditures

spend 84.8% less on healthcare

Afghanistan spends 15.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Djibouti, that number is 2.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 29.3% more on education

Afghanistan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Djibouti spends 3.8% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

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Infrastructure

find 18.4 times more home broadband

Afghanistan has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Djibouti has 1.5 as of 2023.

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live with 88.4% less strain on fresh water

Afghanistan withdraws 55% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Djibouti withdraws 6% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 58.7% less likely to die from air pollution

In Afghanistan, air pollution causes 143.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Djibouti, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.

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emit 2.8 times more CO2

Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Djibouti emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this

Djibouti: At a glance

Djibouti is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 23,180 sq km. The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in 1977. Hassan Gouled APTIDON installed an authoritarian one-party state and proceeded to serve as president until 1999. Unrest among the Afar minority during the 1990s led to a civil war that ended in 2001 with a peace accord between Afar rebels and the Somali Issa-dominated government. In 1999, Djibouti's first multiparty presidential elections resulted in the election of Ismail Omar GUELLEH as president; he was reelected to a second term in 2005 and extended his tenure in office via a constitutional amendment, which allowed him to begin a third term in 2011. Djibouti occupies a strategic geographic location at the intersection of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and serves as an important shipping portal for goods entering and leaving the east African highlands and transshipments between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The government holds longstanding ties to France, which maintains a significant military presence in the country, and has strong ties with the United States. Djibouti hosts several thousand members of US armed services at US-run Camp Lemonnier.
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How big is Djibouti compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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