Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Mali instead of Afghanistan, you would:
Health
be 35.4% less likely to be obese
In Afghanistan, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Mali, that number is 13.3% of people as of 2024.
live 5.6 years less
In Afghanistan, the average life expectancy is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Mali, that number is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
see 68.5% less spent on your healthcare
Afghanistan spends $330 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mali spends $104 as of 2023.
have 40.7% fewer doctors per person
Afghanistan has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Mali has 1.9 as of 2023.
be 15.6% more likely to die by suicide
Afghanistan has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mali, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 78.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Afghanistan, 13.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mali, that number is 2.8% as of 2025.
make 2.9 times more money
Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $417 as of 2024, while in Mali, the GDP per capita is $1,193 as of 2025.
Life
be 29.6% 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 Mali, 367.0 women do as of 2023.
have 12.9% more children
In Afghanistan, there are approximately 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mali, there are 39.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.3 times more likely to have internet access
In Afghanistan, approximately 16.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Mali, about 36.8% do as of 2024.
be 36.1% 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 Mali, that number is 54% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 23% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 74.6% less on healthcare
Afghanistan spends 15.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mali, that number is 3.8% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 44.1% more on education
Afghanistan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Mali spends 4.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 16.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Afghanistan, road accidents kill 24.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mali, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 9.6 times more home broadband
Afghanistan has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Mali has 0.8 as of 2022.
live with 85.4% less strain on fresh water
Afghanistan withdraws 55% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mali withdraws 8% as of 2022.
Environment
be 54.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Afghanistan, air pollution causes 143.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mali, it causes 65.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Afghanistan vs. Mali
Mali: At a glance
How big is Mali compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.