Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iran instead of Cambodia, you would:
Health
live 7.0 years longer
In Cambodia, the average life expectancy is 71 years (68 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
see 3.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Cambodia spends $350 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iran spends $1,064 as of 2023.
have 27.6% more access to essential health services
Cambodia scores 58 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iran scores 74 as of 2021.
be 5.0 times more likely to be obese
In Cambodia, 4.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 24.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 36.6% more money
Cambodia has a GDP per capita of $2,872 as of 2025, while in Iran, the GDP per capita is $3,924 as of 2025.
be 31.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cambodia, 0.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iran, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 88.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Cambodia, approximately 137.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iran, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 23.6% more likely to be literate
In Cambodia, the literacy rate is 71.9% as of 2021. In Iran, it is 88.9% as of 2023.
be 37.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Cambodia, approximately 16.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Iran, on the other hand, 10.3 children do as of 2024.
have 38.1% fewer children
In Cambodia, there are approximately 20.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iran, there are 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 24.6% more likely to have internet access
In Cambodia, approximately 68.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iran, about 85.3% do as of 2024.
be 18.1% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Cambodia, approximately 83% of people have access to drinking water (94% in urban areas, and 79% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 98% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 29.4% more on education
Cambodia spends 2.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Iran spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 30.5% more on healthcare
Cambodia spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iran, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.5 times more coastline
Cambodia has a total of 443 km of coastline. In Iran, that number is 2,440 km.
Safety
be 33.3% more likely to be murdered
Cambodia has a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2011. In Iran, that number is 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2014.
Infrastructure
find 2.9 times more home broadband
Cambodia has 4.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iran has 12.1 as of 2024.
use 4.1 times more electricity
Cambodia uses 932 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iran uses 3,815 kWh as of 2023.
live with 78.2 times more strain on fresh water
Cambodia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iran withdraws 81% as of 2022.
Environment
be 15.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cambodia, air pollution causes 60.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iran, it causes 51.0 as of 2019.
emit 8.2 times more CO2
Cambodia emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iran emits 9.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2011–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Cambodia vs. Iran
Iran: At a glance
How big is Iran compared to Cambodia? See an in-depth size comparison.