Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Macau, you would:
Health
live 17.0 years less
In Macau, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 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.
Economy
be 5.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Macau, 2.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
make 99.5% less money
Macau has a GDP per capita of $75,902 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 6.6 times more children
In Macau, there are approximately 5.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 61.6% less likely to be literate
In Macau, the literacy rate is 97.1% as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 10.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Macau, approximately 4.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. 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 Macau, 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 82.1% less likely to have internet access
In Macau, approximately 89.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
be 19.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Macau, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Afghanistan, 81% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.1% less on education
Macau spends 3.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Afghanistan spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Safety
be 7.2 times more likely to be murdered
Macau 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.
Infrastructure
find 99.7% less home broadband
Macau has 29.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 88.9% less CO2
Macau emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2020–2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Macau vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Macau? See an in-depth size comparison.