Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Italy, you would:
Health
be 48.5% less likely to die by suicide
Italy has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 17.7 years less
In Italy, the average life expectancy is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 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 47.0% more likely to be obese
In Italy, 14.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.
see 93.4% less spent on your healthcare
Italy spends $4,993 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.
have 92.4% fewer doctors per person
Italy has 41.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.
have 51.2% less access to essential health services
Italy scores 84 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Italy, 6.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
be 2.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Italy, 20.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Afghanistan, however, that number is 47.1% as of 2019.
make 99.0% less money
Italy has a GDP per capita of $43,309 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 5.6 times more children
In Italy, there are approximately 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 86.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Italy, approximately 6.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 62.5% less likely to be literate
In Italy, the literacy rate is 99.3% as of 2019. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 21.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Italy, approximately 2.3 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 Italy, 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 82.0% less likely to have internet access
In Italy, approximately 89.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
be 19.1% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Italy, 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 28.7% less on education
Italy spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Afghanistan spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 77.6% more on healthcare
Italy spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 7.1 times more likely to be murdered
Italy has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 4.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 4.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Italy, road accidents kill 5.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Afghanistan, they kill 24.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 99.7% less home broadband
Italy has 31.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
live with 83.9% more strain on fresh water
Italy withdraws 30% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 94.5% less CO2
Italy emits 5.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 9.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Italy, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Afghanistan, it causes 143.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Italy vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Italy? See an in-depth size comparison.