Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Hong Kong instead of Afghanistan, you would:
Health
live 19.1 years longer
In Afghanistan, the average life expectancy is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Hong Kong, that number is 85 years (83 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
be 79.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Afghanistan, 13.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Hong Kong, that number is 2.8% as of 2025.
be 57.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Afghanistan, 47.1% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Hong Kong, however, that number is 19.9% as of 2016.
make 136.7 times more money
Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $417 as of 2024, while in Hong Kong, the GDP per capita is $56,983 as of 2025.
Life
be 94.7% 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 Hong Kong, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.
have 86.0% fewer children
In Afghanistan, there are approximately 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Hong Kong, there are 4.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 17.2% more 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 Hong Kong, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 6.0 times more likely to have internet access
In Afghanistan, approximately 16.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Hong Kong, about 95.8% do as of 2024.
be 23.7% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Afghanistan, approximately 81% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Hong Kong, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Safety
be 90.6% less likely to be murdered
Afghanistan has a homicide rate of 4.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Hong Kong, that number is 0.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 503.4 times more home broadband
Afghanistan has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Hong Kong has 40.3 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 16.4 times more CO2
Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Hong Kong emits 4.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), The World Factbook (2016–2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Afghanistan vs. Hong Kong
Hong Kong: At a glance
How big is Hong Kong compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.