Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 14.5 years less

In Laos, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 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

pay a 16.7% lower top tax rate

Laos has a top tax rate of 24.0% as of 2016. In Afghanistan, the top tax rate is 20.0% as of 2016.

make 81.0% less money

Laos has a GDP per capita of $7,900 as of 2022, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $1,500 as of 2021.

be 3.7 times more likely to be unemployed

In Laos, 3.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Afghanistan, that number is 14.1% as of 2022.

be 3.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Laos, 18.3% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Afghanistan, however, that number is 54.5% as of 2017.

Life

have 72.7% more children

In Laos, there are approximately 19.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 34.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 4.9 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Laos, approximately 126.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Afghanistan, 620.0 women do as of 2020.

be 57.2% less likely to be literate

In Laos, the literacy rate is 87.1% as of 2021. In Afghanistan, it is 37.3% as of 2021.

be 2.8 times more likely to die during infancy

In Laos, approximately 37.8 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 71.0% less likely to have internet access

In Laos, approximately 62.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Afghanistan, about 18.0% do as of 2020.

be 13.9% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Laos, approximately 89% of people have improved drinking water access (97% in urban areas, and 84% 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 26.1% more on education

Laos spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Afghanistan spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 5.7 times more on healthcare

Laos spends 2.7% 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, Ministry of Finance, Afghanistan Revenue Department.

Afghanistan: At a glance

Afghanistan is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 652,230 sq km. Ahmad Shah DURRANI unified the Pashtun tribes and founded Afghanistan in 1747. The country served as a buffer between the British and Russian Empires until it won independence from notional British control in 1919. A brief experiment in democracy ended in a 1973 coup and a 1978 communist counter-coup. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979 to support the tottering Afghan communist regime, touching off a long and destructive war. The USSR withdrew in 1989 under relentless pressure by internationally supported anti-communist mujahedin rebels. A series of subsequent civil wars saw Kabul finally fall in 1996 to the Taliban, a hardline Pakistani-sponsored movement that emerged in 1994 to end the country's civil war and anarchy. Following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, a US, Allied, and anti-Taliban Northern Alliance military action toppled the Taliban for sheltering Osama BIN LADIN. The UN-sponsored Bonn Conference in 2001 established a process for political reconstruction that included the adoption of a new constitution, a presidential election in 2004, and National Assembly elections in 2005. In December 2004, Hamid KARZAI became the first democratically elected president of Afghanistan and the National Assembly was inaugurated the following December. KARZAI was re-elected in August 2009 for a second term. Despite gains toward building a stable central government, a resurgent Taliban and continuing provincial instability - particularly in the south and the east - remain serious challenges for the Afghan Government.
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How big is Afghanistan compared to Laos? See an in-depth size comparison.

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