Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Kazakhstan, you would:
Health
be 75.3% less likely to die by suicide
Kazakhstan has a suicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 8.2 years less
In Kazakhstan, the average life expectancy is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 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 77.4% less spent on your healthcare
Kazakhstan spends $1,460 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.
have 91.6% fewer doctors per person
Kazakhstan has 37.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.
have 48.8% less access to essential health services
Kazakhstan scores 80 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Kazakhstan, 4.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
make 97.2% less money
Kazakhstan has a GDP per capita of $14,692 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 79.4% more children
In Kazakhstan, there are approximately 19.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 52.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Kazakhstan, approximately 10.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 62.7% less likely to be literate
In Kazakhstan, the literacy rate is 99.8% as of 2018. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 6.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Kazakhstan, approximately 7.4 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 Kazakhstan, 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 82.8% less likely to have internet access
In Kazakhstan, approximately 93.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
be 17.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Kazakhstan, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 98% 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 40.3% less on education
Kazakhstan spends 4.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Afghanistan spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 4.0 times more on healthcare
Kazakhstan spends 3.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 58.0% more likely to be murdered
Kazakhstan has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Afghanistan, that number is 4.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 97.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Kazakhstan, road accidents kill 12.2 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
Kazakhstan has 15.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
live with 58.1% more strain on fresh water
Kazakhstan withdraws 35% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 97.8% less CO2
Kazakhstan emits 12.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Kazakhstan, air pollution causes 68.0 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), The World Factbook (2018–2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Kazakhstan vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Kazakhstan? See an in-depth size comparison.