Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Poland, you would:
Health
be 73.7% less likely to die by suicide
Poland has a suicide rate of 13.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 12.1 years less
In Poland, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 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 91.6% less spent on your healthcare
Poland spends $3,939 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.
have 92.1% fewer doctors per person
Poland has 40.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.
have 50.0% less access to essential health services
Poland scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 4.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Poland, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
make 98.5% less money
Poland has a GDP per capita of $28,420 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 5.1 times more children
In Poland, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 260.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Poland, approximately 2.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 62.7% less likely to be literate
In Poland, the literacy rate is 99.8% as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 13.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Poland, approximately 3.6 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 Poland, 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 81.8% less likely to have internet access
In Poland, approximately 88.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
be 10.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Poland, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 82% 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 32.7% less on education
Poland spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Afghanistan spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 86.0% more on healthcare
Poland spends 8.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 5.0 times more likely to be murdered
Poland has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 4.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Poland, road accidents kill 6.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Afghanistan, they kill 24.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 99.7% less home broadband
Poland has 25.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
live with 68.5% more strain on fresh water
Poland withdraws 32% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 96.3% less CO2
Poland emits 7.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Poland, air pollution causes 41.0 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), The World Factbook (2020–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Poland vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Poland? See an in-depth size comparison.