If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Mauritius, you would:

Health

be 65.8% less likely to die by suicide

Mauritius has a suicide rate of 10.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

live 7.5 years less

In Mauritius, the average life expectancy is 74 years (70 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 78.9% less spent on your healthcare

Mauritius spends $1,566 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 77.9% fewer doctors per person

Mauritius has 14.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 37.9% less access to essential health services

Mauritius scores 66 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed

In Mauritius, 5.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 96.8% less money

Mauritius has a GDP per capita of $12,991 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Life

have 3.4 times more children

In Mauritius, there are approximately 10.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 7.9 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Mauritius, approximately 66.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 60.5% less likely to be literate

In Mauritius, the literacy rate is 94.3% as of 2023. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 3.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In Mauritius, approximately 13.8 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.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 14.7% less likely to have access to electricity

In Mauritius, 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.

View global rankings →

be 78.1% less likely to have internet access

In Mauritius, approximately 73.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 19.1% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Mauritius, 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.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 2.7 times more on healthcare

Mauritius spends 5.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 77.5% more likely to be murdered

Mauritius has a homicide rate of 2.3 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Afghanistan, that number is 4.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 2.5 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Mauritius, road accidents kill 9.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Afghanistan, they kill 24.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 99.7% less home broadband

Mauritius has 28.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

live with 2.4 times more strain on fresh water

Mauritius withdraws 23% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 92.1% less CO2

Mauritius emits 3.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 5.1 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Mauritius, air pollution causes 28.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Afghanistan, it causes 143.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this

Afghanistan: At a glance

Afghanistan is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 652,230 sq km. Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian Empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 communist counter-coup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan communist regime, touching off a long and destructive war. The USSR withdrew in 1989 under relentless pressure by internationally supported anti-communist mujahedin rebels. A series of subsequent civil wars saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the country's civil war and anarchy. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, a US, Allied, and anti-Taliban Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN. The UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001 established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution, a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005. In December 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan and the National Assembly was inaugurated the following December. KARZAI was re-elected in August 2009 for a second term. Despite gains toward building a stable central government, a resurgent Taliban and continuing provincial instability - particularly in the south and the east - remain serious challenges for the Afghan Government.
Read more

How big is Afghanistan compared to Mauritius? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Afghanistan or Mauritius. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.