Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Hong Kong, you would:

Health

live 30.0 years less

In Hong Kong, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Afghanistan, that number is 54 years (52 years for men, 55 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 96.4% less money

Hong Kong has a GDP per capita of $56,200 as of 2020, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $2,000 as of 2020.

be 8.2 times more likely to be unemployed

In Hong Kong, 2.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2019. In Afghanistan, that number is 23.9% as of 2017.

be 2.7 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Hong Kong, 19.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Afghanistan, however, that number is 54.5% as of 2017.

pay a 33.3% higher top tax rate

Hong Kong has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In Afghanistan, the top tax rate is 20.0% as of 2016.

Life

have 4.4 times more children

In Hong Kong, there are approximately 8.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Afghanistan, there are 35.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

be 41.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In Hong Kong, approximately 2.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Afghanistan, on the other hand, 104.9 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 80.4% less likely to have internet access

In Hong Kong, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Afghanistan, about 18.0% do as of 2020.

be 23.5% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Hong Kong, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In Afghanistan, 76% of people do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 27.3% less on education

Hong Kong spends 4.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Afghanistan spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2019.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Afghanistan Revenue Department, Inland Revenue Department, Hong Kong.

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 Hong Kong? See an in-depth size comparison.

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