Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of Afghanistan, you would:
Health
live 12.7 years longer
In Afghanistan, the average life expectancy is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 10.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Afghanistan spends $330 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 as of 2023.
have 10.7 times more doctors per person
Afghanistan has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Saudi Arabia has 34.1 as of 2023.
have 80.5% more access to essential health services
Afghanistan scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Saudi Arabia scores 74 as of 2021.
be 73.6% less likely to die by suicide
Afghanistan has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 94.9% more likely to be obese
In Afghanistan, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 40.1% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 77.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Afghanistan, 13.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 82.8 times more money
Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $417 as of 2024, while in Saudi Arabia, the GDP per capita is $34,537 as of 2025.
Life
be 98.7% 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 Saudi Arabia, 7.0 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 Saudi Arabia, it is 97.9% as of 2024.
be 90.3% 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 Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
have 52.9% fewer children
In Afghanistan, there are approximately 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, there are 16.5 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 Saudi Arabia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 6.2 times more likely to have internet access
In Afghanistan, approximately 16.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
be 22.5% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Afghanistan, approximately 81% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 99% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 62.0% less on healthcare
Afghanistan spends 15.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 54.5% more on education
Afghanistan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 76.7% less likely to be murdered
Afghanistan has a homicide rate of 4.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2019.
be 23.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Afghanistan, road accidents kill 24.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, they kill 18.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 550.9 times more home broadband
Afghanistan has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Saudi Arabia has 44.1 as of 2024.
live with 17.8 times more strain on fresh water
Afghanistan withdraws 55% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% as of 2022.
Environment
be 36.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Afghanistan, air pollution causes 143.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Saudi Arabia, it causes 91.0 as of 2019.
emit 66.0 times more CO2
Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Afghanistan vs. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: At a glance
How big is Saudi Arabia compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.