Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Serbia, you would:
Health
be 76.2% less likely to die by suicide
Serbia has a suicide rate of 15.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.7 years less
In Serbia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 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 85.7% less spent on your healthcare
Serbia spends $2,303 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.
have 89.8% fewer doctors per person
Serbia has 31.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.
have 43.1% less access to essential health services
Serbia scores 72 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 87.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Serbia, 7.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
make 97.3% less money
Serbia has a GDP per capita of $15,262 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 3.8 times more children
In Serbia, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 47.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Serbia, approximately 11.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 62.5% less likely to be literate
In Serbia, the literacy rate is 99.3% as of 2022. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 10.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Serbia, approximately 4.6 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 Serbia, 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 81.7% less likely to have internet access
In Serbia, approximately 87.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
be 15.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Serbia, approximately 95% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 95% 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 14.7% less on education
Serbia spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Afghanistan spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 86.7% more on healthcare
Serbia spends 8.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.1 times more likely to be murdered
Serbia has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 4.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Serbia, road accidents kill 7.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Afghanistan, they kill 24.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 99.8% less home broadband
Serbia has 33.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
live with 9.5 times more strain on fresh water
Serbia withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
Environment
be 3.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Serbia, air pollution causes 45.0 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Serbia vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Serbia? See an in-depth size comparison.