Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Marshall Islands 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 Marshall Islands, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Afghanistan spends $330 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Marshall Islands spends $874 as of 2023.
have 43.9% more access to essential health services
Afghanistan scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Marshall Islands scores 59 as of 2021.
be 2.0 times more likely to be obese
In Afghanistan, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, that number is 42.0% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 84.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Afghanistan, 47.1% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Marshall Islands, however, that number is 7.2% as of 2019.
make 20.4 times more money
Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $417 as of 2024, while in Marshall Islands, the GDP per capita is $8,489 as of 2025.
Life
be 70.2% 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 Marshall Islands, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.6 times more likely to be literate
In Afghanistan, the literacy rate is 37.3% as of 2021. In Marshall Islands, it is 95.8% as of 2021.
be 53.0% 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 Marshall Islands, on the other hand, 22.7 children do as of 2024.
have 42.6% fewer children
In Afghanistan, there are approximately 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Marshall Islands, there are 20.1 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 Marshall Islands, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
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 Marshall Islands, about 65.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.5% less on healthcare
Afghanistan spends 15.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Marshall Islands, that number is 13.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 2.7 times more on education
Afghanistan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Marshall Islands spends 7.7% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Safety
be 50.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Afghanistan, road accidents kill 24.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Marshall Islands, they kill 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 29.4 times more home broadband
Afghanistan has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Marshall Islands has 2.4 as of 2022.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Afghanistan vs. Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands: At a glance
How big is Marshall Islands compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.