Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sudan instead of Iran, you would:
Health
be 27.6% less likely to be obese
In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sudan, that number is 17.8% of people as of 2024.
be 22.4% less likely to die by suicide
Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sudan, it is 3.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 11.3 years less
In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Sudan, that number is 67 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
see 97.3% less spent on your healthcare
Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sudan spends $28 as of 2023.
have 40.5% less access to essential health services
Iran scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sudan scores 44 as of 2021.
Economy
be 38.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sudan, that number is 11.4% as of 2023.
be 2.5 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iran, 18.7% live below the poverty line as of 2007. In Sudan, however, that number is 46.5% as of 2009.
make 70.3% less money
Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Sudan, the GDP per capita is $1,165 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.6 times more children
In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sudan, there are 33.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 16.0 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 Sudan, 256.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.2 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 Sudan, on the other hand, 42.9 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 34.0% 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 Sudan, that number is 66% of people on average (87% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 66.4% less likely to have internet access
In Iran, approximately 85.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sudan, about 28.7% do as of 2022.
be 33.7% 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 Sudan, that number is 65% of people on average (74% in urban areas, and 60% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 52.7% less on healthcare
Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sudan, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 65.0% less coastline
Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In Sudan, that number is 853 km.
Infrastructure
find 99.5% less home broadband
Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sudan has 0.1 as of 2022.
live with 46.0% more strain on fresh water
Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sudan withdraws 119% as of 2022.
use 94.2% less electricity
Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sudan uses 223 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 95.2% less CO2
Iran emits 9.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sudan emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
be 37.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sudan, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2007–2023), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iran vs. Sudan
Sudan: At a glance
How big is Sudan compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.