If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Belarus, you would:

Health

be 76.9% less likely to die by suicide

Belarus has a suicide rate of 15.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 8.1 years less

In Belarus, the average life expectancy is 74 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 85.0% less spent on your healthcare

Belarus spends $2,194 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.

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have 93.3% fewer doctors per person

Belarus has 47.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.

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have 48.1% less access to essential health services

Belarus scores 79 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 3.9 times more likely to be unemployed

In Belarus, 3.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.

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make 95.9% less money

Belarus has a GDP per capita of $10,279 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.

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Life

have 5.0 times more children

In Belarus, there are approximately 7.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 521.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Belarus, approximately 1.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 62.7% less likely to be literate

In Belarus, the literacy rate is 99.9% as of 2019. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.

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be 26.8 times more likely to die during infancy

In Belarus, approximately 1.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Afghanistan, on the other hand, 48.3 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 14.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In Belarus, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 85% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 82.9% less likely to have internet access

In Belarus, approximately 94.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.

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be 19.1% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Belarus, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 81% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 2.1 times more on healthcare

Belarus spends 7.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 69.3% more likely to be murdered

Belarus has a homicide rate of 2.4 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Afghanistan, that number is 4.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 3.3 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Belarus, road accidents kill 7.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Afghanistan, they kill 24.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 99.8% less home broadband

Belarus has 36.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.

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live with 11.8 times more strain on fresh water

Belarus withdraws 5% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 95.3% less CO2

Belarus emits 5.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Belarus, air pollution causes 68.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Afghanistan, it causes 143.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this

Afghanistan: At a glance

Afghanistan is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 652,230 sq km. Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian Empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 communist counter-coup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan communist regime, touching off a long and destructive war. The USSR withdrew in 1989 under relentless pressure by internationally supported anti-communist mujahedin rebels. A series of subsequent civil wars saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the country's civil war and anarchy. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, a US, Allied, and anti-Taliban Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN. The UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001 established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution, a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005. In December 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan and the National Assembly was inaugurated the following December. KARZAI was re-elected in August 2009 for a second term. Despite gains toward building a stable central government, a resurgent Taliban and continuing provincial instability - particularly in the south and the east - remain serious challenges for the Afghan Government.
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How big is Afghanistan compared to Belarus? See an in-depth size comparison.

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