Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 99.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In South Africa, 17.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
be 35.3% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 31.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.
be 83.9% less likely to die by suicide
South Africa has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 75.6% less spent on your healthcare
South Africa spends $1,354 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.
have 60.1% fewer doctors per person
South Africa has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.
have 42.3% less access to essential health services
South Africa scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 58.8% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
be 24.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In South Africa, 37.9% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Afghanistan, however, that number is 47.1% as of 2019.
make 93.7% less money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 89.4% more children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 118.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 59.1% less likely to be literate
In South Africa, the literacy rate is 91.2% as of 2024. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 99.6% more likely to die during infancy
In South Africa, approximately 24.2 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 79.5% less likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 78.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
be 10.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In South Africa, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 73% 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 68.2% more on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 90.8% less likely to be murdered
South Africa has a homicide rate of 43.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Afghanistan, that number is 4.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 19.0% less strain on fresh water
South Africa withdraws 68% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
find 98.5% less home broadband
South Africa has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 95.9% less CO2
South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In South Africa, air pollution causes 47.0 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: South Africa vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.