Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Afghanistan instead of Iran, you would:
Health
be 78.7% less likely to be obese
In Iran, 25.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Afghanistan, that number is 5.5% of people as of 2016.
live 21.6 years less
In Iran, the average life expectancy is 75 years (74 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2022. In Afghanistan, that number is 54 years (52 years for men, 55 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
make 87.7% less money
Iran has a GDP per capita of $16,200 as of 2023, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $2,000 as of 2022.
be 58.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Iran, 9.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 14.4% as of 2023.
be 2.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iran, 18.7% live below the poverty line as of 2007. In Afghanistan, however, that number is 54.5% as of 2017.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In Iran, there are approximately 14.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 34.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 28.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iran, approximately 22.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Afghanistan, 620.0 women do as of 2020.
be 57.9% less likely to be literate
In Iran, the literacy rate is 88.7% as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.
be 7.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Iran, approximately 14.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Afghanistan, on the other hand, 104.9 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 14.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Iran, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Afghanistan, 85% of the population do as of 2022.
be 77.2% less likely to have internet access
In Iran, approximately 79.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Afghanistan, about 18.0% do as of 2020.
be 23.0% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Iran, approximately 99% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Afghanistan, that number is 76% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 19.4% less on education
Iran spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Afghanistan spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 2.9 times more on healthcare
Iran spends 5.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Afghanistan, that number is 15.5% of GDP as of 2020.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
Afghanistan: At a glance
How big is Afghanistan compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.