Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
be 48.2% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.
live 6.1 years less
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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 60.9% less spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.
have 69.0% fewer doctors per person
Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.
have 30.5% less access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.
be 21.2% more likely to die by suicide
Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 13.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
make 92.3% less money
Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 36.9% more children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 7.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iraq, approximately 66.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 55.7% less likely to be literate
In Iraq, the literacy rate is 84.1% as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 2.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Iraq, approximately 20.1 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 Iraq, 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 80.3% less likely to have internet access
In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
be 17.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Iraq, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 95% 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 2.7 times more on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 12.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Afghanistan, they kill 24.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 99.5% less home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 94.6% less CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 64.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Afghanistan, it causes 143.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iraq vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.