Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Kenya, you would:
Health
be 96.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Kenya, 3.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 2.5 years longer
In Kenya, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 20.2% more spent on your healthcare
Kenya spends $274 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.
be 21.4% less likely to die by suicide
Kenya has a suicide rate of 4.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 82.4% more likely to be obese
In Kenya, 11.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.
have 22.6% less access to essential health services
Kenya scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Kenya, 5.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
be 18.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Kenya, 39.8% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Afghanistan, however, that number is 47.1% as of 2019.
make 82.4% less money
Kenya has a GDP per capita of $2,363 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 29.8% more children
In Kenya, there are approximately 27.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Kenya, approximately 149.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 54.9% less likely to be literate
In Kenya, the literacy rate is 82.6% as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 41.2% more likely to die during infancy
In Kenya, approximately 34.2 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 11.9% more likely to have access to electricity
In Kenya, approximately 76% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 68% 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 23.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Kenya, approximately 66% of people have access to drinking water (89% in urban areas, and 56% 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.
be 54.0% less likely to have internet access
In Kenya, approximately 35.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.4 times more on healthcare
Kenya spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 17.2% less likely to be murdered
Kenya has a homicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Afghanistan, that number is 4.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 14.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Kenya, road accidents kill 28.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Afghanistan, they kill 24.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.4% less home broadband
Kenya has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
live with 64.7% more strain on fresh water
Kenya withdraws 33% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 26.3% less CO2
Kenya emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Kenya, air pollution causes 33.0 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 (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Kenya vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Kenya? See an in-depth size comparison.