Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Vanuatu, you would:
Health
see 2.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Vanuatu spends $141 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.
be 77.1% less likely to die by suicide
Vanuatu has a suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.4 years less
In Vanuatu, 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 12.8% less access to essential health services
Vanuatu scores 47 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Afghanistan scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.6 times more likely to be unemployed
In Vanuatu, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
be 3.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Vanuatu, 15.9% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Afghanistan, however, that number is 47.1% as of 2019.
make 89.7% less money
Vanuatu has a GDP per capita of $4,039 as of 2025, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $417 as of 2024.
Life
have 26.6% more children
In Vanuatu, there are approximately 27.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 35.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Vanuatu, approximately 100.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 57.6% less likely to be literate
In Vanuatu, the literacy rate is 88.0% as of 2023. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 3.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Vanuatu, approximately 14.4 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 38.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Vanuatu, approximately 62% of people have electricity access (88% in urban areas, and 54% 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 77.0% less likely to have internet access
In Vanuatu, approximately 69.9% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Afghanistan, about 16.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.6 times more on healthcare
Vanuatu spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 12.2 times more likely to be murdered
Vanuatu has a homicide rate of 0.3 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Afghanistan, that number is 4.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 92.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Vanuatu, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Afghanistan, they kill 24.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 93.1% less home broadband
Vanuatu has 1.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 67.8% less CO2
Vanuatu emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Afghanistan emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Vanuatu, air pollution causes 57.0 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 (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Vanuatu vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Vanuatu? See an in-depth size comparison.