Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 20.3 years longer

In Afghanistan, the average life expectancy is 54 years (52 years for men, 55 years for women) as of 2022. In Greenland, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 34.0 times more money

Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $2,000 as of 2022, while in Greenland, the GDP per capita is $68,100 as of 2021.

be 36.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Afghanistan, 14.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Greenland, that number is 9.1% as of 2015.

be 70.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Afghanistan, 54.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Greenland, however, that number is 16.2% as of 2015.

Life

be 2.7 times more likely to be literate

In Afghanistan, the literacy rate is 37.3% as of 2021. In Greenland, it is 100.0% as of 2015.

be 91.7% 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 Greenland, on the other hand, 8.8 children do as of 2022.

have 60.5% fewer children

In Afghanistan, there are approximately 34.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Greenland, there are 13.5 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 Greenland, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 3.9 times more likely to have internet access

In Afghanistan, approximately 18.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Greenland, about 69.5% 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 Greenland, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 3.5 times more on education

Afghanistan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Greenland spends 10.2% of total GDP on education as of 2019.

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

Greenland: At a glance

Greenland is a sovereign country in North America, with a total land area of approximately 2,166,086 sq km. Greenland, the world's largest island, is about 81% ice-capped. Vikings reached the island in the 10th century from Iceland; Danish colonization began in the 18th century, and Greenland was made an integral part of Denmark in 1953. It joined the European Community (now the EU) with Denmark in 1973 but withdrew in 1985 over a dispute centered on stringent fishing quotas. Greenland was granted self-government in 1979 by the Danish parliament; the law went into effect the following year. Greenland voted in favor of increased self-rule in November 2008 and acquired greater responsibility for internal affairs when the Act on Greenland Self-Government was signed into law in June 2009. Denmark, however, continues to exercise control over several policy areas on behalf of Greenland including foreign affairs, security, and financial policy in consultation with Greenland's Self-Rule Government.
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How big is Greenland compared to Afghanistan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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