Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Kuwait, you would:
Health
be 49.1% less likely to be obese
In Kuwait, 40.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.
live 18.3 years less
In Kuwait, the average life expectancy is 85 years (84 years for men, 85 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 87.2% less spent on your healthcare
Kuwait spends $2,567 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.
have 86.1% fewer doctors per person
Kuwait has 22.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.
have 47.4% less access to essential health services
Kuwait scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.
be 55.8% more likely to die by suicide
Kuwait has a suicide rate of 2.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 6.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Kuwait, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
make 98.7% less money
Kuwait has a GDP per capita of $32,312 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 3.5 times more children
In Kuwait, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 65.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Kuwait, approximately 8.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 61.4% less likely to be literate
In Kuwait, the literacy rate is 96.5% as of 2020. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 6.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Kuwait, approximately 7.0 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 Kuwait, 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 83.9% less likely to have internet access
In Kuwait, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
be 19.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Kuwait, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Afghanistan, 81% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.0 times more on healthcare
Kuwait spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 16.1 times more likely to be murdered
Kuwait has a homicide rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Afghanistan, that number is 4.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Kuwait, road accidents kill 9.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Afghanistan, they kill 24.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 98.6% less strain on fresh water
Kuwait withdraws 3850% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
find 92.1% less home broadband
Kuwait has 1.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 98.8% less CO2
Kuwait emits 23.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Kuwait, air pollution causes 45.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Afghanistan, it causes 143.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Kuwait vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Kuwait? See an in-depth size comparison.