If you lived in New Caledonia instead of Afghanistan, you would:

Health

live 12.6 years longer

In Afghanistan, the average life expectancy is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In New Caledonia, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

be 16.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Afghanistan, 13.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Caledonia, that number is 11.2% as of 2025.

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make 70.1 times more money

Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $417 as of 2024, while in New Caledonia, the GDP per capita is $29,213 as of 2024.

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Life

have 59.9% fewer children

In Afghanistan, there are approximately 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Caledonia, there are 14.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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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 New Caledonia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 5.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Afghanistan, approximately 16.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In New Caledonia, about 82.0% do as of 2021.

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be 23.1% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Afghanistan, approximately 81% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In New Caledonia, 100% of people do as of 2024.

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Infrastructure

find 242.1 times more home broadband

Afghanistan has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. New Caledonia has 19.4 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 61.0 times more CO2

Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Caledonia emits 17.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

New Caledonia: At a glance

New Caledonia is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 18,275 sq km. Settled by both Britain and France during the first half of the 19th century, the island became a French possession in 1853. It served as a penal colony for four decades after 1864. Agitation for independence during the 1980s and early 1990s ended in the 1998 Noumea Accord, which over a period of 15 to 20 years will transfer an increasing amount of governing responsibility from France to New Caledonia. The agreement also commits France to conduct a referendum between 2014 and 2018 to decide whether New Caledonia should assume full sovereignty and independence.
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How big is New Caledonia compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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