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

Health

live 1.5 years longer

In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Estonia, that number is 79 years (75 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 17.3% less likely to be obese

In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Estonia, that number is 20.3% of people as of 2024.

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see 3.5 times more spent on your healthcare

Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Estonia spends $3,741 as of 2024.

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have 91.6% more doctors per person

Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Estonia has 34.7 as of 2022.

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be 3.7 times more likely to die by suicide

Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Estonia, it is 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 8.8 times more money

Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Estonia, the GDP per capita is $34,418 as of 2025.

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Life

be 68.8% less 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 Estonia, 5.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 12.3% more likely to be literate

In Iran, the literacy rate is 88.9% as of 2023. In Estonia, it is 99.9% as of 2021.

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be 85.4% less 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 Estonia, on the other hand, 1.5 children do as of 2024.

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have 43.5% fewer children

In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Estonia, there are 7.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 84.8% more on education

Iran spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Estonia spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 30.0% more on healthcare

Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Estonia, that number is 7.8% of GDP as of 2024.

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Geography

see 55.5% more coastline

Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In Estonia, that number is 3,794 km.

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Safety

be 78.6% less likely to die in a road accident

In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Estonia, they kill 4.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 2.9 times more home broadband

Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Estonia has 35.4 as of 2024.

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live with 83.9% less strain on fresh water

Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Estonia withdraws 13% as of 2022.

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use 38.9% more electricity

Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Estonia uses 5,298 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

be 74.5% less likely to die from air pollution

In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Estonia, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.

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emit 14.3% less CO2

Iran emits 9.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Estonia emits 7.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Estonia: At a glance

Estonia is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 42,388 sq km. After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940 - an action never recognized by the US - it regained its freedom in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994, Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with the West. It joined both NATO and the EU in the spring of 2004, formally joined the OECD in late 2010, and adopted the euro as its official currency on 1 January 2011.
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How big is Estonia compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.

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