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

Health

be 67.4% less likely to be obese

In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In India, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.

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live 5.6 years less

In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In India, that number is 72 years (71 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 67.5% less spent on your healthcare

Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). India spends $346 as of 2023.

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have 60.1% fewer doctors per person

Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. India has 7.2 as of 2020.

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have 14.9% less access to essential health services

Iran scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. India scores 63 as of 2021.

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be 3.1 times more likely to die by suicide

Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In India, it is 12.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 49.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In India, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.

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make 31.1% less money

Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in India, the GDP per capita is $2,702 as of 2025.

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Life

have 27.1% more children

In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In India, there are 16.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 5.0 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 India, 80.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 12.1% less likely to be literate

In Iran, the literacy rate is 88.9% as of 2023. In India, it is 78.2% as of 2024.

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be 2.3 times 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 India, on the other hand, 23.3 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 18.0% less likely to have internet access

In Iran, approximately 85.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In India, about 70.0% do as of 2025.

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Expenditures

spend 44.6% less on healthcare

Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In India, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 45.4% more on education

Iran spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. India spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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Geography

see 2.9 times more coastline

Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In India, that number is 7,000 km.

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Safety

be 25.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In India, they kill 15.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 18.2% less strain on fresh water

Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. India withdraws 66% as of 2022.

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find 73.9% less home broadband

Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. India has 3.1 as of 2024.

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use 69.0% less electricity

Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. India uses 1,182 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 76.0% less CO2

Iran emits 9.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. India emits 2.2 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 62.7% more likely to die from air pollution

In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In India, it causes 83.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

India: At a glance

India is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 2,973,193 sq km. The Indus Valley civilization, one of the world's oldest, flourished during the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C. and extended into northwestern India. Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated the Indian subcontinent about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. The Maurya Empire of the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. - which reached its zenith under ASHOKA - united much of South Asia. The Golden Age ushered in by the Gupta dynasty (4th to 6th centuries A.D.) saw a flowering of Indian science, art, and culture. Islam spread across the subcontinent over a period of 700 years. In the 10th and 11th centuries, Turks and Afghans invaded India and established the Delhi Sultanate. In the early 16th century, the Emperor BABUR established the Mughal Dynasty which ruled India for more than three centuries. European explorers began establishing footholds in India during the 16th century. By the 19th century, Great Britain had become the dominant political power on the subcontinent. The British Indian Army played a vital role in both World Wars. Years of nonviolent resistance to British rule, led by Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU, eventually resulted in Indian independence, which was granted in 1947. Large-scale communal violence took place before and after the subcontinent partition into two separate states - India and Pakistan. The neighboring nations have fought three wars since independence, the last of which was in 1971 and resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. India's nuclear weapons tests in 1998 emboldened Pakistan to conduct its own tests that same year. In November 2008, terrorists originating from Pakistan conducted a series of coordinated attacks in Mumbai, India's financial capital. Despite pressing problems such as significant overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and widespread corruption, economic growth following the launch of economic reforms in 1991 and a massive youthful population are driving India's emergence as a regional and global power.
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