Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan instead of Iran, you would:
Health
be 46.8% less likely to be obese
In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 13.1% of people as of 2024.
live 4.6 years less
In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 73 years (72 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
see 36.4% less spent on your healthcare
Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bhutan spends $677 as of 2023.
have 69.5% fewer doctors per person
Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Bhutan has 5.5 as of 2022.
have 18.9% less access to essential health services
Iran scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bhutan scores 60 as of 2021.
be 20.4% more likely to die by suicide
Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 61.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bhutan, that number is 3.2% as of 2025.
make 14.5% more money
Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $4,493 as of 2025.
Life
be 2.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iran, approximately 16.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.
be 27.0% less likely to be literate
In Iran, the literacy rate is 88.9% as of 2023. In Bhutan, it is 64.9% as of 2022.
be 33.0% more likely to die during infancy
In Iran, approximately 10.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Bhutan, on the other hand, 13.7 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 26.7% less on healthcare
Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 4.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 2.1 times more on education
Iran spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Bhutan spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 40.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bhutan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 98.3% less strain on fresh water
Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bhutan withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 75.8% less home broadband
Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bhutan has 2.9 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 77.8% less CO2
Iran emits 9.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
be 11.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bhutan, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iran vs. Bhutan
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.