Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Namibia instead of Iran, you would:
Health
be 25.7% less likely to be obese
In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 18.3% of people as of 2024.
live 10.3 years less
In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 68 years (63 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
have 69.5% fewer doctors per person
Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Namibia has 5.5 as of 2022.
have 14.9% less access to essential health services
Iran scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Namibia scores 63 as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Namibia, it is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 24.2% more money
Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Namibia, the GDP per capita is $4,876 as of 2025.
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Namibia, that number is 19.3% as of 2025.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Namibia, there are 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 8.7 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 Namibia, 139.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.5 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 Namibia, on the other hand, 36.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 43.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Iran, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Namibia, that number is 57% of people on average (75% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 24.0% less likely to have internet access
In Iran, approximately 85.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Namibia, about 64.9% do as of 2024.
be 11.6% 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 Namibia, that number is 87% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.2 times more on education
Iran spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Namibia spends 9.1% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 57.2% more on healthcare
Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Namibia, that number is 9.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 35.6% less coastline
Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In Namibia, that number is 1,572 km.
Infrastructure
live with 99.6% less strain on fresh water
Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Namibia withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 76.5% less home broadband
Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Namibia has 2.8 as of 2024.
use 67.7% less electricity
Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Namibia uses 1,232 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 15.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Namibia, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.
emit 86.7% less CO2
Iran emits 9.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Namibia emits 1.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iran vs. Namibia
Namibia: At a glance
How big is Namibia compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.