Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Maldives instead of Iran, you would:
Health
live 3.4 years longer
In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Maldives, that number is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
be 27.3% less likely to be obese
In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Maldives, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
see 2.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Maldives spends $2,288 as of 2023.
be 63.9% less likely to die by suicide
Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Maldives, it is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
have 17.6% less access to essential health services
Iran scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Maldives scores 61 as of 2021.
Economy
be 45.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Maldives, that number is 4.5% as of 2025.
make 3.7 times more money
Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Maldives, the GDP per capita is $14,615 as of 2025.
Life
be 10.1% more likely to be literate
In Iran, the literacy rate is 88.9% as of 2023. In Maldives, it is 97.9% as of 2021.
be 54.4% 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 Maldives, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
be 100.0% 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 Maldives, 32.0 women do as of 2023.
have 15.8% fewer children
In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Maldives, there are 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 83.3% more on education
Iran spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Maldives spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 53.4% more on healthcare
Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Maldives, that number is 9.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 73.6% less coastline
Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In Maldives, that number is 644 km.
Safety
be 93.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Maldives, they kill 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 62.9% more home broadband
Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Maldives has 19.6 as of 2024.
live with 80.7% less strain on fresh water
Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Maldives withdraws 16% as of 2022.
Environment
be 43.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Maldives, it causes 29.0 as of 2019.
emit 60.6% less CO2
Iran emits 9.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Maldives emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iran vs. Maldives
Maldives: At a glance
How big is Maldives compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.