Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zimbabwe instead of Afghanistan, you would:
Health
be 28.5% less likely to be obese
In Afghanistan, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 14.7% of people as of 2024.
have 34.1% more access to essential health services
Afghanistan scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zimbabwe scores 55 as of 2021.
be 98.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Afghanistan, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.8% of people as of 2024.
live 3.2 years less
In Afghanistan, the average life expectancy is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2024.
see 68.7% less spent on your healthcare
Afghanistan spends $330 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zimbabwe spends $103 as of 2023.
have 57.1% fewer doctors per person
Afghanistan has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Zimbabwe has 1.4 as of 2023.
be 4.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Afghanistan has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, it is 17.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 30.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Afghanistan, 13.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.3% as of 2025.
be 18.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Afghanistan, 47.1% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Zimbabwe, however, that number is 38.3% as of 2019.
make 7.2 times more money
Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $417 as of 2024, while in Zimbabwe, the GDP per capita is $3,021 as of 2025.
Life
be 31.3% 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 Zimbabwe, 358.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to be literate
In Afghanistan, the literacy rate is 37.3% as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, it is 89.7% as of 2021.
be 29.2% more 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 Zimbabwe, on the other hand, 62.4 children do as of 2024.
have 14.6% fewer children
In Afghanistan, there are approximately 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Afghanistan, approximately 16.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, about 41.6% do as of 2024.
be 27.3% less 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 Zimbabwe, that number is 62% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 51% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 16.9% less 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 Zimbabwe, that number is 67% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 86.9% less on education
Afghanistan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 80.5% less on healthcare
Afghanistan spends 15.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zimbabwe, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 67.7% more likely to be murdered
Afghanistan has a homicide rate of 4.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, that number is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 24.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Afghanistan, road accidents kill 24.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 24.2 times more home broadband
Afghanistan has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Zimbabwe has 1.9 as of 2024.
live with 15.8% less strain on fresh water
Afghanistan withdraws 55% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zimbabwe withdraws 46% as of 2022.
Environment
be 60.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Afghanistan, air pollution causes 143.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zimbabwe, it causes 56.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.8 times more CO2
Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zimbabwe emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Afghanistan vs. Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: At a glance
How big is Zimbabwe compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.