Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Colombia instead of Iran, you would:

Health

be 13.6% less likely to be obese

In Iran, 25.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Colombia, that number is 22.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 11.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Iran, 11.8% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In Colombia, that number is 10.5% as of 2019.

be 90.9% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iran, 18.7% live below the poverty line as of 2007. In Colombia, however, that number is 35.7% as of 2019.

Life

be 11.8% more likely to be literate

In Iran, the literacy rate is 85.5% as of 2016. In Colombia, it is 95.6% as of 2020.

be 21.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Iran, approximately 14.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Colombia, on the other hand, 11.7 children do as of 2022.

be 5.2 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Iran, approximately 16.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Colombia, 83.0 women do as of 2017.

Basic Needs

be 16.7% less likely to have internet access

In Iran, approximately 84.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Colombia, about 70.0% do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 21.6% more on education

Iran spends 3.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Colombia spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2019.

spend 14.9% more on healthcare

Iran spends 6.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Colombia, that number is 7.7% of GDP as of 2019.

Geography

see 31.5% more coastline

Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In Colombia, that number is 3,208 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Colombia: At a glance

Colombia is a sovereign country in South America, with a total land area of approximately 1,038,700 sq km. Colombia was one of the three countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others are Ecuador and Venezuela). A nearly five-decade long conflict between government forces and anti-government insurgent groups, principally the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) heavily funded by the drug trade, escalated during the 1990s. More than 31,000 former paramilitaries had demobilized by the end of 2006 and the United Self Defense Forces of Colombia as a formal organization had ceased to function. In the wake of the paramilitary demobilization, emerging criminal groups arose, whose members include some former paramilitaries. The insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government, but continue attacks against civilians. Large areas of the countryside are under guerrilla influence or are contested by security forces. In November 2012, the Colombian Government started formal peace negotiations with the FARC aimed at reaching a definitive bilateral ceasefire and incorporating demobilized FARC members into mainstream society and politics. The Colombian Government has stepped up efforts to reassert government control throughout the country, and now has a presence in every one of its administrative departments. Despite decades of internal conflict and drug related security challenges, Colombia maintains relatively strong democratic institutions characterized by peaceful, transparent elections and the protection of civil liberties.
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How big is Colombia compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.

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