If you lived in Tajikistan instead of Pakistan, you would:

Health

live 4.1 years longer

In Pakistan, the average life expectancy is 68 years (65 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Tajikistan, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 2.4 times more spent on your healthcare

Pakistan spends $152 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Tajikistan spends $364 as of 2023.

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have 61.2% more doctors per person

Pakistan has 11.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Tajikistan has 18.7 as of 2023.

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have 48.9% more access to essential health services

Pakistan scores 45 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Tajikistan scores 67 as of 2021.

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be 56.9% less likely to die by suicide

Pakistan has a suicide rate of 5.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Tajikistan, it is 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 31.5% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Pakistan, 28.9% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Tajikistan, however, that number is 19.8% as of 2024.

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be 27.9% more likely to be unemployed

In Pakistan, 5.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Tajikistan, that number is 6.9% as of 2025.

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Life

be 91.0% less 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 Tajikistan, 14.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 51.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Pakistan, approximately 48.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Tajikistan, on the other hand, 23.5 children do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 2.8 times more on education

Pakistan spends 1.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Tajikistan spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 3.0 times more on healthcare

Pakistan spends 2.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Tajikistan, that number is 7.4% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 79.4% less likely to be murdered

Pakistan has a homicide rate of 4.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Tajikistan, that number is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2020.

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be 16.8% more likely to die in a road accident

In Pakistan, road accidents kill 11.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Tajikistan, they kill 13.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 36.4% less strain on fresh water

Pakistan withdraws 110% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Tajikistan withdraws 70% as of 2022.

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use 2.9 times more electricity

Pakistan uses 518 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Tajikistan uses 1,497 kWh as of 2023.

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find 33.3% less home broadband

Pakistan has 1.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Tajikistan has 1.0 as of 2023.

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Environment

be 51.4% more likely to die from air pollution

In Pakistan, air pollution causes 105.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Tajikistan, it causes 159.0 as of 2019.

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emit 13.6% more CO2

Pakistan emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Tajikistan emits 0.9 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this

Tajikistan: At a glance

Tajikistan is a sovereign country in Central Asia, with a total land area of approximately 141,510 sq km. The Tajik people came under Russian rule in the 1860s and 1870s, but Russia's hold on Central Asia weakened following the Revolution of 1917. Bands of indigenous guerrillas (called "basmachi") fiercely contested Bolshevik control of the area, which was not fully reestablished until 1925. Tajikistan was first created as an autonomous republic within Uzbekistan in 1924, but the USSR designated Tajikistan a separate republic in 1929 and transferred to it much of present-day Sughd province. Ethnic Uzbeks form a substantial minority in Tajikistan. Tajikistan became independent in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union, and experienced a civil war between regional factions from 1992 to 1997. Tajikistan endured several domestic security incidents during 2010-12, including armed conflict between government forces and local strongmen in the Rasht Valley and between government forces and criminal groups in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast. The country remains the poorest in the former Soviet sphere. Tajikistan became a member of the World Trade Organization in March 2013. However, its economy continues to face major challenges, including dependence on remittances from Tajikistanis working in Russia, pervasive corruption, and the major role narcotrafficking plays in the country's informal economy.
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How big is Tajikistan compared to Pakistan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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