Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Afghanistan, you would:
Health
live 17.3 years longer
In Afghanistan, the average life expectancy is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
be 59.3% less likely to be obese
In Afghanistan, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 15.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Afghanistan spends $330 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 8.2 times more doctors per person
Afghanistan has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 2.2 times more access to essential health services
Afghanistan scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 7.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Afghanistan has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 79.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Afghanistan, 13.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
be 69.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Afghanistan, 47.1% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
make 86.9 times more money
Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $417 as of 2024, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 99.2% 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 South Korea, 4.0 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 South Korea, it is 98.0% as of 2019.
be 95.2% 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 South Korea, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
have 86.6% fewer children
In Afghanistan, there are approximately 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 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 South Korea, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 6.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Afghanistan, approximately 16.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% 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 South Korea, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 42.1% less on healthcare
Afghanistan spends 15.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
spend 86.6% more on education
Afghanistan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Safety
be 88.1% less likely to be murdered
Afghanistan has a homicide rate of 4.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 71.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Afghanistan, road accidents kill 24.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 597.5 times more home broadband
Afghanistan has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
live with 55.6% more strain on fresh water
Afghanistan withdraws 55% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 86.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Afghanistan, air pollution causes 143.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 40.6 times more CO2
Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2016–2020), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Afghanistan vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.