Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iraq instead of Brunei, you would:
Health
live 3.1 years less
In Brunei, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 55.6% less spent on your healthcare
Brunei spends $1,896 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iraq spends $843 as of 2023.
have 45.8% fewer doctors per person
Brunei has 18.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Iraq has 10.2 as of 2022.
have 24.4% less access to essential health services
Brunei scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iraq scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Brunei, 5.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iraq, that number is 15.5% as of 2025.
make 83.2% less money
Brunei has a GDP per capita of $32,235 as of 2025, while in Iraq, the GDP per capita is $5,410 as of 2025.
Life
have 91.9% more children
In Brunei, there are approximately 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iraq, there are 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 83.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Brunei, approximately 36.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iraq, 66.0 women do as of 2023.
be 13.9% less likely to be literate
In Brunei, the literacy rate is 97.6% as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 84.1% as of 2021.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Brunei, approximately 8.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Iraq, on the other hand, 20.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 15.4% less likely to have internet access
In Brunei, approximately 96.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iraq, about 81.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.5 times more on healthcare
Brunei spends 2.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iraq, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 64.0% less coastline
Brunei has a total of 161 km of coastline. In Iraq, that number is 58 km.
Safety
be 18.8 times more likely to be murdered
Brunei has a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 people as of 2013. In Iraq, that number is 9.4 per 100,000 as of 2013.
be 6.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Brunei, road accidents kill 3.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iraq, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 16.8% less home broadband
Brunei has 21.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iraq has 17.6 as of 2024.
live with 17.2 times more strain on fresh water
Brunei withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iraq withdraws 60% as of 2022.
use 87.1% less electricity
Brunei uses 10,674 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iraq uses 1,377 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 74.4% less CO2
Brunei emits 20.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Brunei, air pollution causes 20.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iraq, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2013–2021), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Brunei vs. Iraq
Iraq: At a glance
How big is Iraq compared to Brunei? See an in-depth size comparison.