Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Afghanistan, you would:
Health
live 16.8 years longer
In Afghanistan, the average life expectancy is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 11.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Afghanistan spends $330 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 9.4 times more doctors per person
Afghanistan has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
have 100.0% more access to essential health services
Afghanistan scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.
be 52.5% less likely to die by suicide
Afghanistan has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 53.7% more likely to be obese
In Afghanistan, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 83.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Afghanistan, 13.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 120.6 times more money
Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $417 as of 2024, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 99.4% 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 United Arab Emirates, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.7 times more likely to be literate
In Afghanistan, the literacy rate is 37.3% as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 98.8% as of 2024.
be 92.1% 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 United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, 3.8 children do as of 2024.
have 72.0% fewer children
In Afghanistan, there are approximately 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 9.8 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 United Arab Emirates, 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 United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% 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 (97% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas) as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 66.8% less on healthcare
Afghanistan spends 15.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 34.1% more on education
Afghanistan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
Safety
be 82.9% less likely to be murdered
Afghanistan has a homicide rate of 4.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 75.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Afghanistan, road accidents kill 24.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 510.5 times more home broadband
Afghanistan has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
live with 27.6 times more strain on fresh water
Afghanistan withdraws 55% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 51.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Afghanistan, air pollution causes 143.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 65.2 times more CO2
Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes as of 2024.
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. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.