Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Burma, you would:
Health
see 16.5% more spent on your healthcare
Burma spends $283 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.
live 0.8 years less
In Burma, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more likely to be obese
In Burma, 8.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.
have 21.2% less access to essential health services
Burma scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.
be 24.6% more likely to die by suicide
Burma has a suicide rate of 2.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 4.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Burma, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
be 89.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Burma, 24.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Afghanistan, however, that number is 47.1% as of 2019.
make 72.0% less money
Burma has a GDP per capita of $1,489 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In Burma, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Burma, approximately 185.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 60.2% less likely to be literate
In Burma, the literacy rate is 93.5% as of 2020. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 47.3% more likely to die during infancy
In Burma, approximately 32.8 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.
Basic Needs
be 11.1% more likely to have access to electricity
In Burma, approximately 77% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 69% 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.
be 63.4% less likely to have internet access
In Burma, approximately 44.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 45.0% more on education
Burma spends 2.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Afghanistan spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 3.4 times more on healthcare
Burma spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 56.2% more likely to be murdered
Burma has a homicide rate of 2.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 4.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 24.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Burma, road accidents kill 19.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Afghanistan, they kill 24.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.2% less home broadband
Burma has 2.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
live with 9.4 times more strain on fresh water
Burma withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 51.7% less CO2
Burma emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Burma, air pollution causes 71.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Afghanistan, it causes 143.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burma vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Burma? See an in-depth size comparison.