Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Ukraine, you would:
Health
be 83.0% less likely to die by suicide
Ukraine has a suicide rate of 21.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 8.4 years less
In Ukraine, the average life expectancy is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 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 76.1% less spent on your healthcare
Ukraine spends $1,382 per person on healthcare as of 2021 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.
have 91.0% fewer doctors per person
Ukraine has 35.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.
have 46.1% less access to essential health services
Ukraine scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ukraine, 23.2% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Afghanistan, however, that number is 47.1% as of 2019.
make 92.9% less money
Ukraine has a GDP per capita of $5,866 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 6.4 times more children
In Ukraine, there are approximately 5.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 34.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Ukraine, approximately 15.0 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 Ukraine, the literacy rate is 100.0% as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 6.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Ukraine, approximately 7.6 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 Ukraine, 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 80.5% less likely to have internet access
In Ukraine, approximately 82.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
be 13.5% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Ukraine, approximately 93% of people have access to drinking water (91% in urban areas, and 100% 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 43.6% less on education
Ukraine spends 5.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Afghanistan spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 82.8% more on healthcare
Ukraine spends 8.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2021. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Ukraine, road accidents kill 10.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Afghanistan, they kill 24.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 99.6% less home broadband
Ukraine has 21.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
live with 8.7 times more strain on fresh water
Ukraine withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 91.1% less CO2
Ukraine emits 3.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Ukraine, air pollution causes 66.0 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), The World Factbook (2020–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ukraine vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Ukraine? See an in-depth size comparison.