Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Pakistan, you would:
Health
be 16.1% less likely to be obese
In Pakistan, 24.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.
see 2.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Pakistan spends $152 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.
be 36.2% less likely to die by suicide
Pakistan has a suicide rate of 5.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.5 years less
In Pakistan, the average life expectancy is 68 years (65 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
have 72.7% fewer doctors per person
Pakistan has 11.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.
Economy
be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Pakistan, 5.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
make 73.9% less money
Pakistan has a GDP per capita of $1,596 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 27.7% more children
In Pakistan, there are approximately 27.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Pakistan, approximately 155.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 36.7% less likely to be literate
In Pakistan, the literacy rate is 58.9% as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
Basic Needs
be 10.8% less likely to have access to electricity
In Pakistan, approximately 96% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 93% 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 71.9% less likely to have internet access
In Pakistan, approximately 57.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
be 10.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Pakistan, approximately 91% of people have access to drinking water (93% in urban areas, and 89% 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.
Expenditures
spend 48.7% more on education
Pakistan spends 1.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Afghanistan spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 5.9 times more on healthcare
Pakistan spends 2.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Pakistan, road accidents kill 11.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Afghanistan, they kill 24.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 50.2% less strain on fresh water
Pakistan withdraws 110% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
find 94.6% less home broadband
Pakistan has 1.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 65.4% less CO2
Pakistan emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 36.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Pakistan, air pollution causes 105.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Afghanistan, it causes 143.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Pakistan vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Pakistan? See an in-depth size comparison.