Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iran instead of Eritrea, you would:
Health
live 9.0 years longer
In Eritrea, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 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 12.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Eritrea spends $87 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iran spends $1,064 as of 2023.
have 20.6 times more doctors per person
Eritrea has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iran has 18.1 as of 2023.
have 64.4% more access to essential health services
Eritrea scores 45 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iran scores 74 as of 2021.
be 69.2% less likely to die by suicide
Eritrea has a suicide rate of 13.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iran, it is 4.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 5.7 times more likely to be obese
In Eritrea, 4.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 24.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 62.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Eritrea, 50.0% live below the poverty line as of 2004. In Iran, however, that number is 18.7% as of 2007.
be 38.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Eritrea, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iran, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 94.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Eritrea, approximately 291.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iran, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 58.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Eritrea, approximately 24.7 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.
have 56.2% fewer children
In Eritrea, there are approximately 28.7 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 83.8% more likely to have access to electricity
In Eritrea, approximately 54% of people have electricity access (77% in urban areas, and 37% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Iran, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.2 times more likely to have internet access
In Eritrea, approximately 26.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Iran, about 85.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 63.9% more on healthcare
Eritrea spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iran, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 83.6% less likely to be murdered
Eritrea has a homicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2012. In Iran, that number is 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2014.
be 16.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Eritrea, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iran, they kill 20.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 70.9 times more home broadband
Eritrea has 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Iran has 12.1 as of 2024.
use 30.9 times more electricity
Eritrea uses 123 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iran uses 3,815 kWh as of 2023.
live with 7.3 times more strain on fresh water
Eritrea withdraws 11% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iran withdraws 81% as of 2022.
Environment
be 34.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Eritrea, air pollution causes 78.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iran, it causes 51.0 as of 2019.
emit 41.1 times more CO2
Eritrea emits 0.2 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 (2012–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2004–2007). How we calculate this
Compare further: Eritrea vs. Iran
Iran: At a glance
How big is Iran compared to Eritrea? See an in-depth size comparison.