Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
be 92.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gambia, 1.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
see 3.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.
have 3.5 times more doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.
be 25.2% less likely to die by suicide
Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 66.0% more likely to be obese
In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.
have 10.9% less access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 11.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Gambia, 53.4% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Afghanistan, however, that number is 47.1% as of 2019.
be 2.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
make 54.6% less money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 17.2% more children
In Gambia, there are approximately 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 47.2% more likely to die during childbirth
In Gambia, approximately 354.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 27.8% less likely to be literate
In Gambia, the literacy rate is 51.6% as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 47.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Gambia, approximately 32.7 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 27.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Gambia, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 35% 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 67.5% less likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 5.2 times more on healthcare
Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 84.6% less home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
live with 24.8 times more strain on fresh water
Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
Environment
be 58.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Afghanistan, it causes 143.0 as of 2019.
emit 55.6% more CO2
Gambia emits 0.2 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: Gambia vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.