Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Kuwait instead of Iran, you would:
Health
live 6.7 years longer
In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Kuwait, that number is 85 years (84 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kuwait spends $2,567 as of 2023.
have 25.5% more doctors per person
Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Kuwait has 22.7 as of 2020.
be 43.2% less likely to die by suicide
Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kuwait, it is 2.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 64.6% more likely to be obese
In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kuwait, that number is 40.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 73.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Kuwait, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 8.2 times more money
Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Kuwait, the GDP per capita is $32,312 as of 2025.
Life
be 50.0% 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 Kuwait, 8.0 women do as of 2023.
be 32.0% 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 Kuwait, on the other hand, 7.0 children do as of 2024.
have 20.3% fewer children
In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kuwait, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 17.2% more likely to have internet access
In Iran, approximately 85.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Kuwait, about 100.0% do as of 2025.
Expenditures
spend 17.7% less on healthcare
Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kuwait, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 2.3 times more on education
Iran spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Kuwait spends 6.4% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 79.5% less coastline
Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In Kuwait, that number is 499 km.
Safety
be 55.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kuwait, they kill 9.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 4.3 times more electricity
Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Kuwait uses 16,496 kWh as of 2023.
find 91.6% less home broadband
Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kuwait has 1.0 as of 2023.
live with 47.4 times more strain on fresh water
Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Kuwait withdraws 3850% as of 2022.
Environment
be 11.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kuwait, it causes 45.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.6 times more CO2
Iran emits 9.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kuwait emits 23.7 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iran vs. Kuwait
Kuwait: At a glance
How big is Kuwait compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.