Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Russia instead of Iran, you would:
Health
be 28.3% less likely to be obese
In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Russia, that number is 17.6% of people as of 2024.
see 3.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Russia spends $3,204 as of 2023.
have 2.8 times more doctors per person
Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Russia has 51.1 as of 2022.
be 12.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Iran, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Russia, that number is 1.2% of people as of 2017.
live 4.4 years less
In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Russia, that number is 73 years (68 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
be 5.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Russia, it is 21.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 74.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Russia, that number is 2.1% as of 2025.
make 4.5 times more money
Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Russia, the GDP per capita is $17,547 as of 2025.
Life
be 43.8% 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 Russia, 9.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.4% more likely to be literate
In Iran, the literacy rate is 88.9% as of 2023. In Russia, it is 99.9% as of 2021.
be 60.2% 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 Russia, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 33.2% fewer children
In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Russia, there are 8.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 10.6% more likely to have internet access
In Iran, approximately 85.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Russia, about 94.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 47.5% more on education
Iran spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Russia spends 4.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 16.7% more on healthcare
Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Russia, that number is 7.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 15.4 times more coastline
Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In Russia, that number is 37,653 km.
Safety
be 48.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Russia, they kill 10.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.2 times more home broadband
Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Russia has 27.1 as of 2024.
live with 94.9% less strain on fresh water
Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Russia withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 91.0% more electricity
Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Russia uses 7,285 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 23.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Russia, it causes 39.0 as of 2019.
emit 54.5% more CO2
Iran emits 9.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Russia emits 14.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2017–2020), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iran vs. Russia
Russia: At a glance
How big is Russia compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.