Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 24.2 years longer

In Afghanistan, the average life expectancy is 54 years (52 years for men, 55 years for women) as of 2022. In Estonia, that number is 78 years (73 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2022.

be 3.9 times more likely to be obese

In Afghanistan, 5.5% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Estonia, that number is 21.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 25.1 times more money

Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $1,500 as of 2021, while in Estonia, the GDP per capita is $37,700 as of 2022.

be 60.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Afghanistan, 14.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Estonia, that number is 5.6% as of 2022.

be 58.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Afghanistan, 54.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Estonia, however, that number is 22.8% as of 2021.

Life

be 99.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Afghanistan, approximately 620.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Estonia, 5.0 women do as of 2020.

be 2.7 times more likely to be literate

In Afghanistan, the literacy rate is 37.3% as of 2021. In Estonia, it is 99.9% as of 2021.

be 96.7% 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 Estonia, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2022.

have 76.0% fewer children

In Afghanistan, there are approximately 34.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Estonia, there are 8.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

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 Estonia, about 96.1% do as of 2022.

be 30.2% 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 Estonia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 49.7% less on healthcare

Afghanistan spends 15.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Estonia, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2020.

spend 2.3 times more on education

Afghanistan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Estonia spends 6.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Estonia: At a glance

Estonia is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 42,388 sq km. After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US - it regained its freedom in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994, Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with the West. It joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004, formally joined the OECD in late 2010, and adopted the euro as its official currency on 1 January 2011.
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How big is Estonia compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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