Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Afghanistan instead of North Korea, you would:

Health

be 19.1% less likely to be obese

In North Korea, 6.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Afghanistan, that number is 5.5% of people as of 2016.

live 18.1 years less

In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 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 17.6% more money

North Korea has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2015, while in Afghanistan, the GDP per capita is $2,000 as of 2022.

be 4.8 times more likely to be unemployed

In North Korea, 3.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Afghanistan, that number is 14.4% as of 2023.

Life

have 2.6 times more children

In North Korea, there are approximately 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Afghanistan, there are 34.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 5.8 times more likely to die during childbirth

In North Korea, approximately 107.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Afghanistan, 620.0 women do as of 2020.

be 62.7% less likely to be literate

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

be 4.7 times more likely to die during infancy

In North Korea, approximately 22.2 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 55.9% more likely to have access to electricity

In North Korea, approximately 55% of people have electricity access (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Afghanistan, that number is 85% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 19.0% less likely to have access to improved drinking water

In North Korea, approximately 94% of people have improved drinking water access (98% in urban areas, and 89% 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.

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

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 North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.

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