Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Cambodia, you would:
Health
be 20.0% less likely to die by suicide
Cambodia has a suicide rate of 4.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.5 years less
In Cambodia, the average life expectancy is 71 years (68 years for men, 73 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 4.2 times more likely to be obese
In Cambodia, 4.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.
have 29.3% less access to essential health services
Cambodia scores 58 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 51.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cambodia, 0.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
be 2.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Cambodia, 16.5% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Afghanistan, however, that number is 47.1% as of 2019.
make 85.5% less money
Cambodia has a GDP per capita of $2,872 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 72.4% more children
In Cambodia, there are approximately 20.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Cambodia, approximately 137.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 48.2% less likely to be literate
In Cambodia, the literacy rate is 71.9% as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 2.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Cambodia, approximately 16.4 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 10.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In Cambodia, approximately 95% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 93% 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 76.5% less likely to have internet access
In Cambodia, approximately 68.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 33.0% more on education
Cambodia spends 2.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Afghanistan spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 3.2 times more on healthcare
Cambodia spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 28.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Cambodia, road accidents kill 18.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Afghanistan, they kill 24.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 98.1% less home broadband
Cambodia has 4.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
live with 52.7 times more strain on fresh water
Cambodia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 74.5% less CO2
Cambodia emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Cambodia, air pollution causes 60.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Afghanistan, it causes 143.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2016–2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cambodia vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Cambodia? See an in-depth size comparison.