Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Yemen, you would:
Health
see 95.4% more spent on your healthcare
Yemen spends $169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Afghanistan spends $330 as of 2023.
have 3.2 times more doctors per person
Yemen has 1.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Afghanistan has 3.2 as of 2023.
be 14.5% less likely to die by suicide
Yemen has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.1 years less
In Yemen, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
be 54.4% more likely to be obese
In Yemen, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Afghanistan, that number is 20.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 22.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Yemen, 17.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Afghanistan, that number is 13.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 4.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Yemen, approximately 118.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Afghanistan, 521.0 women do as of 2023.
be 42.9% more likely to die during infancy
In Yemen, approximately 33.8 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.
Expenditures
spend 54.5% more on healthcare
Yemen spends 9.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 19.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Yemen, road accidents kill 29.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Afghanistan, they kill 24.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 67.7% less strain on fresh water
Yemen withdraws 170% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Afghanistan withdraws 55% as of 2022.
find 93.7% less home broadband
Yemen has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Afghanistan has 0.1 as of 2023.
Environment
be 31.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Yemen, air pollution causes 109.0 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Yemen vs. Afghanistan
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Yemen? See an in-depth size comparison.