Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Ethiopia, you would:
Health
see 3.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Ethiopia spends $86 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.
have 2.2 times more doctors per person
Ethiopia has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.
have 17.1% more access to essential health services
Ethiopia scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.
be 40.7% less likely to die by suicide
Ethiopia has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.3 years less
In Ethiopia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 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 7.0 times more likely to be obese
In Ethiopia, 2.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 4.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Ethiopia, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
be 42.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ethiopia, 33.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Afghanistan, however, that number is 47.1% as of 2019.
make 55.3% less money
Ethiopia has a GDP per capita of $933 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 11.2% more children
In Ethiopia, there are approximately 31.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Ethiopia, approximately 195.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 38.4% less likely to be literate
In Ethiopia, the literacy rate is 60.5% as of 2022. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 40.0% more likely to die during infancy
In Ethiopia, approximately 34.5 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 54.0% more likely to have access to electricity
In Ethiopia, approximately 55% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 44% 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 45.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Ethiopia, approximately 56% of people have access to drinking water (83% in urban areas, and 47% 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.
be 26.7% less likely to have internet access
In Ethiopia, approximately 21.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 5.4 times more on healthcare
Ethiopia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 36.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Ethiopia, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Afghanistan, they kill 24.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 86.4% less home broadband
Ethiopia has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
live with 69.7% more strain on fresh water
Ethiopia withdraws 32% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
Environment
be 3.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Ethiopia, air pollution causes 46.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Afghanistan, it causes 143.0 as of 2019.
emit 86.7% more CO2
Ethiopia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ethiopia vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Ethiopia? See an in-depth size comparison.