Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Australia instead of Afghanistan, you would:

Health

live 29.4 years longer

In Afghanistan, the average life expectancy is 54 years (52 years for men, 55 years for women) as of 2022. In Australia, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022.

be 5.3 times more likely to be obese

In Afghanistan, 5.5% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Australia, that number is 29.0% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 29.8 times more money

Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $2,000 as of 2022, while in Australia, the GDP per capita is $59,500 as of 2023.

be 74.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Afghanistan, 14.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Australia, that number is 3.7% as of 2023.

be 75.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Afghanistan, 54.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Australia, however, that number is 13.4% as of 2020.

pay a 2.2 times higher top tax rate

Afghanistan has a top tax rate of 20.0% as of 2016. In Australia, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 99.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In Afghanistan, approximately 620.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Australia, 3.0 women do as of 2020.

be 97.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Afghanistan, approximately 104.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Australia, on the other hand, 3.0 children do as of 2022.

have 64.3% fewer children

In Afghanistan, there are approximately 34.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Australia, there are 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 17.2% more likely to have access to electricity

In Afghanistan, approximately 85% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Australia, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 5.3 times more likely to have internet access

In Afghanistan, approximately 18.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Australia, about 96.0% do as of 2021.

be 30.7% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Afghanistan, approximately 76% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Australia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 31.0% less on healthcare

Afghanistan spends 15.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Australia, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2020.

spend 2.1 times more on education

Afghanistan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Australia spends 6.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Afghanistan Revenue Department, Australian Taxation Office.

Australia: At a glance

Australia is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 7,682,300 sq km. Prehistoric settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia at least 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession of the east coast in the name of Great Britain (all of Australia was claimed as British territory in 1829 with the creation of the colony of Western Australia). Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the Allied effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has become an internationally competitive, advanced market economy due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s and its location in one of the fastest growing regions of the world economy. Long-term concerns include aging of the population, pressure on infrastructure, and environmental issues such as floods, droughts, and bushfires. Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth, making it particularly vulnerable to the challenges of climate change. Australia is home to 10 per cent of the world's biodiversity, and a great number of its flora and fauna exist nowhere else in the world. In January 2013, Australia assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2013-14 term.
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How big is Australia compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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