Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
Health
be 34.9% less likely to be obese
In United Arab Emirates, 31.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.
live 16.8 years less
In United Arab Emirates, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 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 91.2% less spent on your healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.
have 89.4% fewer doctors per person
United Arab Emirates has 29.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.
have 50.0% less access to essential health services
United Arab Emirates scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide
United Arab Emirates has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 6.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In United Arab Emirates, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
make 99.2% less money
United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274 as of 2024, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 3.6 times more children
In United Arab Emirates, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 173.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 62.3% less likely to be literate
In United Arab Emirates, the literacy rate is 98.8% as of 2024. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 12.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.8 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 United Arab Emirates, 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 83.9% less likely to have internet access
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
be 19.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% 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 25.4% less on education
United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Afghanistan spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 3.0 times more on healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 5.8 times more likely to be murdered
United Arab Emirates has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Afghanistan, that number is 4.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 4.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In United Arab Emirates, road accidents kill 5.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Afghanistan, they kill 24.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 96.4% less strain on fresh water
United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
find 99.8% less home broadband
United Arab Emirates has 40.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 98.5% less CO2
United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In United Arab Emirates, air pollution causes 70.0 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: United Arab Emirates vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.