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

Health

have 2.3 times more doctors per person

Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Mongolia has 41.3 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

live 5.4 years less

In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Mongolia, that number is 72 years (68 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 12.2% less access to essential health services

Iran scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Mongolia scores 65 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 4.5 times more likely to die by suicide

Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mongolia, it is 18.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 37.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mongolia, that number is 5.2% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 81.1% more money

Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Mongolia, the GDP per capita is $7,108 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 10.9% more likely to be literate

In Iran, the literacy rate is 88.9% as of 2023. In Mongolia, it is 98.6% as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 34.4% more children

In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mongolia, there are 16.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 2.6 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 Mongolia, 41.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 12.0% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Iran, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Mongolia, that number is 86% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 64% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 84.8% more on education

Iran spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Mongolia spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 39.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Mongolia, they kill 12.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 30.8% more home broadband

Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mongolia has 15.8 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 95.8% less strain on fresh water

Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mongolia withdraws 3% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

use 28.5% less electricity

Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Mongolia uses 2,728 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 13.3% less CO2

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

View global rankings →

be 2.4 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mongolia, it causes 120.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →


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

Mongolia: At a glance

Mongolia is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 1,553,556 sq km. The Mongols gained fame in the 13th century when under Chinggis KHAAN they established a huge Eurasian empire through conquest. After his death the empire was divided into several powerful Mongol states, but these broke apart in the 14th century. The Mongols eventually retired to their original steppe homelands and in the late 17th century came under Chinese rule. Mongolia won its independence in 1921 with Soviet backing and a communist regime was installed in 1924. The modern country of Mongolia, however, represents only part of the Mongols' historical homeland; more ethnic Mongolians live in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China than in Mongolia. Following a peaceful democratic revolution, the ex-communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) won elections in 1990 and 1992, but was defeated by the Democratic Union Coalition (DUC) in the 1996 parliamentary election. The MPRP won an overwhelming majority in the 2000 parliamentary election, but the party lost seats in the 2004 election and shared power with democratic coalition parties from 2004-08. The MPRP regained a solid majority in the 2008 parliamentary elections but nevertheless formed a coalition government with the Democratic Party that lasted until January 2012. In 2009, current President ELBEGDORJ of the Democratic Party was elected to office and was re-elected for his second term in June 2013. In 2010, the MPRP voted to retake the name of the Mongolian People's Party (MPP), a name it used in the early 1920s. Shortly thereafter, a new party was formed by former president ENKHBAYAR, which adopted the MPRP name. In the 2012 Parliamentary elections, a coalition of four political parties led by the Democratic Party, gained control of the Parliament.
Read more

How big is Mongolia compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Mongolia or Iran. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.