Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iran instead of Canada, you would:
Health
be 56.9% less likely to die by suicide
Canada has a suicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iran, it is 4.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.3 years less
In Canada, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 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 86.1% less spent on your healthcare
Canada spends $7,646 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iran spends $1,064 as of 2023.
have 35.8% fewer doctors per person
Canada has 28.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iran has 18.1 as of 2023.
have 18.7% less access to essential health services
Canada scores 91 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iran scores 74 as of 2021.
Economy
be 20.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Canada, 6.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iran, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
be 98.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Canada, 9.4% live below the poverty line as of 2008. In Iran, however, that number is 18.7% as of 2007.
make 93.0% less money
Canada has a GDP per capita of $55,698 as of 2025, while in Iran, the GDP per capita is $3,924 as of 2025.
Life
have 41.2% more children
In Canada, there are approximately 8.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iran, there are 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 33.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Canada, approximately 12.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iran, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Canada, approximately 4.7 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.
Expenditures
spend 41.7% less on education
Canada spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Iran spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 46.7% less on healthcare
Canada spends 11.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 98.8% less coastline
Canada has a total of 202,080 km of coastline. In Iran, that number is 2,440 km.
Safety
be 4.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Canada, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iran, they kill 20.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 71.6% less home broadband
Canada has 42.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iran has 12.1 as of 2024.
live with 21.9 times more strain on fresh water
Canada withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iran withdraws 81% as of 2022.
use 72.9% less electricity
Canada uses 14,093 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iran uses 3,815 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 35.4% less CO2
Canada emits 14.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iran emits 9.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 6.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Canada, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iran, it causes 51.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2007–2008). How we calculate this
Compare further: Canada vs. Iran
Iran: At a glance
How big is Iran compared to Canada? See an in-depth size comparison.