Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Tajikistan, you would:
Health
be 10.8% less likely to be obese
In Tajikistan, 23.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.
live 5.6 years less
In Tajikistan, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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 83.0% fewer doctors per person
Tajikistan has 18.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.
have 38.8% less access to essential health services
Tajikistan scores 67 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.
be 48.1% more likely to die by suicide
Tajikistan has a suicide rate of 2.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 92.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Tajikistan, 6.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
make 74.5% less money
Tajikistan has a GDP per capita of $1,637 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 38.2% more children
In Tajikistan, there are approximately 25.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 37.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Tajikistan, approximately 14.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Tajikistan, approximately 23.5 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 Tajikistan, 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 71.2% less likely to have internet access
In Tajikistan, approximately 55.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 46.7% less on education
Tajikistan spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Afghanistan spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 2.0 times more on healthcare
Tajikistan spends 7.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 4.5 times more likely to be murdered
Tajikistan has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Afghanistan, that number is 4.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 73.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Tajikistan, road accidents kill 13.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Afghanistan, they kill 24.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 21.7% less strain on fresh water
Tajikistan withdraws 70% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
find 91.8% less home broadband
Tajikistan has 1.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
Environment
be 10.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Tajikistan, air pollution causes 159.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Afghanistan, it causes 143.0 as of 2019.
emit 69.6% less CO2
Tajikistan emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Tajikistan vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Tajikistan? See an in-depth size comparison.