Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 20.5 years longer

In Afghanistan, the average life expectancy is 54 years (52 years for men, 55 years for women) as of 2022. In Serbia, that number is 74 years (72 years for men, 77 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 Serbia, that number is 21.5% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 12.2 times more money

Afghanistan has a GDP per capita of $2,000 as of 2022, while in Serbia, the GDP per capita is $24,500 as of 2023.

be 39.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Afghanistan, 14.4% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Serbia, that number is 8.7% as of 2023.

be 61.1% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Afghanistan, 54.5% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Serbia, however, that number is 21.2% as of 2020.

pay a 25.0% lower top tax rate

Afghanistan has a top tax rate of 20.0% as of 2016. In Serbia, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2017.

Life

be 98.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Afghanistan, approximately 620.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Serbia, 10.0 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 Serbia, it is 99.5% as of 2019.

be 95.4% 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 Serbia, on the other hand, 4.8 children do as of 2022.

have 74.3% fewer children

In Afghanistan, there are approximately 34.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Serbia, there are 8.8 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 Serbia, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 4.5 times more likely to have internet access

In Afghanistan, approximately 18.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Serbia, about 81.0% do as of 2021.

be 30.1% 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 Serbia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 43.9% less on healthcare

Afghanistan spends 15.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Serbia, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2020.

spend 24.1% more on education

Afghanistan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Serbia spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2019.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Afghanistan Revenue Department, Ministry of Finance, Republic of Serbia.

Serbia: At a glance

Serbia is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 77,474 sq km. The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes was formed in 1918; its name was changed to Yugoslavia in 1929. Communist Partisans resisted the Axis occupation and division of Yugoslavia from 1941 to 1945 and fought nationalist opponents and collaborators as well. The military and political movement headed by Josip Broz "TITO" (Partisans) took full control of Yugoslavia when their domestic rivals and the occupiers were defeated in 1945. Although communists, TITO and his successors (Tito died in 1980) managed to steer their own path between the Warsaw Pact nations and the West for the next four and a half decades. In 1989, Slobodan MILOSEVIC became president of the Republic of Serbia and his ultranationalist calls for Serbian domination led to the violent breakup of Yugoslavia along ethnic lines. In 1991, Croatia, Slovenia, and Macedonia declared independence, followed by Bosnia in 1992. The remaining republics of Serbia and Montenegro declared a new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) in April 1992 and under MILOSEVIC's leadership, Serbia led various military campaigns to unite ethnic Serbs in neighboring republics into a "Greater Serbia." These actions were ultimately unsuccessful and, after international intervention, led to the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995. MILOSEVIC retained control over Serbia and eventually became president of the FRY in 1997. In 1998, an ethnic Albanian insurgency in the formerly autonomous Serbian province of Kosovo provoked a Serbian counterinsurgency campaign that resulted in massacres and massive expulsions of ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo. The MILOSEVIC government's rejection of a proposed international settlement led to NATO's bombing of Serbia in the spring of 1999. Serbian military and police forces withdrew from Kosovo in June 1999, and the UN Security Council authorized an interim UN administration and a NATO-led security force in Kosovo. FRY elections in late 2000 led to the ouster of MILOSEVIC and the installation of democratic government. In 2003, the FRY became the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, a loose federation of the two republics. Widespread violence predominantly targeting ethnic Serbs in Kosovo in March 2004 let to more intense calls to address Kosovo's status, and the UN began facilitating status talks in 2006. In June 2006, Montenegro seceded from the federation and declared itself an independent nation. Serbia subsequently gave notice that it was the successor state to the union of Serbia and Montenegro. In February 2008, after nearly two years of inconclusive negotiations, Kosovo declared itself independent of Serbia - an action Serbia refuses to recognize. At Serbia's request, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in October 2008 sought an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on whether Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence was in accordance with international law. In a ruling considered unfavorable to Serbia, the ICJ issued an advisory opinion in July 2010 stating that international law did not prohibit declarations of independence. In late 2010, Serbia agreed to an EU-drafted UNGA Resolution acknowledging the ICJ's decision and calling for a new round of talks between Serbia and Kosovo, this time on practical issues rather than Kosovo's status. The EU-moderated Belgrade-Pristina dialogue began in March 2011 and was raised to the level of prime ministers in October 2012. Serbia and Kosovo signed the first agreement of principles governing the normalization of relations between the two countries in April 2013 and are in the process of implementing its provisions.
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