Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iraq instead of Cyprus, you would:
Health
live 9.4 years less
In Cyprus, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 84.1% more likely to be obese
In Cyprus, 21.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 39.7% of people as of 2024.
see 81.4% less spent on your healthcare
Cyprus spends $4,538 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iraq spends $843 as of 2023.
have 71.3% fewer doctors per person
Cyprus has 35.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iraq has 10.2 as of 2022.
have 27.2% less access to essential health services
Cyprus scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iraq scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Cyprus, 4.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iraq, that number is 15.5% as of 2025.
be 25.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Cyprus, 13.9% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Iraq, however, that number is 17.5% as of 2023.
make 87.1% less money
Cyprus has a GDP per capita of $41,783 as of 2025, while in Iraq, the GDP per capita is $5,410 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In Cyprus, there are approximately 10.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iraq, there are 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Cyprus, approximately 14.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iraq, 66.0 women do as of 2023.
be 15.4% less likely to be literate
In Cyprus, the literacy rate is 99.4% as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 84.1% as of 2021.
be 4.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Cyprus, approximately 4.1 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.
Expenditures
spend 31.9% less on healthcare
Cyprus spends 8.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iraq, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 91.0% less coastline
Cyprus has a total of 648 km of coastline. In Iraq, that number is 58 km.
Safety
be 5.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Cyprus, road accidents kill 3.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iraq, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 53.1% less home broadband
Cyprus has 37.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iraq has 17.6 as of 2024.
live with 95.5% more strain on fresh water
Cyprus withdraws 30% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iraq withdraws 60% as of 2022.
use 64.1% less electricity
Cyprus uses 3,842 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iraq uses 1,377 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 5.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Cyprus, air pollution causes 16.0 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 (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cyprus vs. Iraq
Iraq: At a glance
How big is Iraq compared to Cyprus? See an in-depth size comparison.