Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 69.8% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 16.5 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
see 95.2% less spent on your healthcare
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.
have 92.8% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.
have 53.9% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
be 5.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Afghanistan, however, that number is 47.1% as of 2019.
make 99.6% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 3.1 times more children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 173.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iceland, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 23.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Iceland, approximately 2.1 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 14.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Iceland, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 83.6% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
be 19.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Iceland, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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.
Expenditures
spend 60.3% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Afghanistan spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 66.9% more on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.1 times more likely to be murdered
Iceland has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 4.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 10.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Afghanistan, they kill 24.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 99.8% less home broadband
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
live with 140.4 times more strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 96.7% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 17.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 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), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iceland vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.