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

Health

live 6.1 years longer

In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 43.0% less likely to be obese

In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 14.0% of people as of 2024.

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see 4.7 times more spent on your healthcare

Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Italy spends $4,993 as of 2024.

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have 2.3 times more doctors per person

Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Italy has 41.9 as of 2022.

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have 13.5% more access to essential health services

Iran scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Italy scores 84 as of 2021.

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be 71.7% more likely to die by suicide

Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Italy, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 23.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Italy, that number is 6.4% as of 2025.

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make 11.0 times more money

Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Italy, the GDP per capita is $43,309 as of 2025.

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Life

be 62.5% 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 Italy, 6.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 77.7% 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 Italy, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 49.9% fewer children

In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Italy, there are 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 44.3% more on education

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

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spend 40.0% more on healthcare

Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Italy, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2024.

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Geography

see 3.1 times more coastline

Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In Italy, that number is 7,600 km.

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Safety

be 75.7% less likely to die in a road accident

In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Italy, they kill 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 2.6 times more home broadband

Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Italy has 31.8 as of 2024.

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live with 63.4% less strain on fresh water

Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Italy withdraws 30% as of 2022.

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use 34.7% more electricity

Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Italy uses 5,137 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

be 70.6% less likely to die from air pollution

In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Italy, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.

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emit 43.9% less CO2

Iran emits 9.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Italy emits 5.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Italy: At a glance

Italy is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 294,140 sq km. Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy is a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include sluggish economic growth, high youth and female unemployment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.
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How big is Italy compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.

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