Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Syria, you would:
Health
be 37.6% less likely to be obese
In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.
see 2.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.
live 6.3 years less
In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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 79.2% fewer doctors per person
Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.
have 35.9% less access to essential health services
Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.
be 6.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 60.6% less money
Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 51.2% more children
In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 26.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Syria, approximately 20.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 60.5% less likely to be literate
In Syria, the literacy rate is 94.4% as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 2.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Syria, approximately 17.7 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 65.5% less likely to have internet access
In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
be 14.1% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Syria, approximately 94% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 92% 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 5.5 times more on healthcare
Syria spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 19.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Afghanistan, they kill 24.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 56.0% less strain on fresh water
Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
find 98.8% less home broadband
Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 78.0% less CO2
Syria emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 72.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Syria, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Afghanistan, it causes 143.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Syria vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.