Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Mongolia, you would:
Health
be 18.0% less likely to be obese
In Mongolia, 25.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.
be 80.5% less likely to die by suicide
Mongolia has a suicide rate of 18.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.1 years less
In Mongolia, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 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.
see 70.3% less spent on your healthcare
Mongolia spends $1,109 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.
have 92.3% fewer doctors per person
Mongolia has 41.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.
have 36.9% less access to essential health services
Mongolia scores 65 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In Mongolia, 5.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
be 73.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Mongolia, 27.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Afghanistan, however, that number is 47.1% as of 2019.
make 94.1% less money
Mongolia has a GDP per capita of $7,108 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In Mongolia, there are approximately 16.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 12.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Mongolia, approximately 41.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 62.2% less likely to be literate
In Mongolia, the literacy rate is 98.6% as of 2024. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 4.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Mongolia, approximately 11.2 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 14.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Mongolia, 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 81.1% less likely to have internet access
In Mongolia, approximately 85.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.5 times more on healthcare
Mongolia spends 6.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 31.9% less likely to be murdered
Mongolia has a homicide rate of 5.9 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 4.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 94.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Mongolia, road accidents kill 12.4 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
Mongolia has 15.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
live with 16.1 times more strain on fresh water
Mongolia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 96.4% less CO2
Mongolia emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 19.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Mongolia, air pollution causes 120.0 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mongolia vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Mongolia? See an in-depth size comparison.