Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Syria instead of Iran, you would:
Health
be 85.5% less likely to die by suicide
Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Syria, it is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.3 years less
In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
be 34.3% more likely to be obese
In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 33.0% of people as of 2024.
see 88.5% less spent on your healthcare
Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Syria spends $122 as of 2023.
have 16.0% fewer doctors per person
Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Syria has 15.2 as of 2021.
have 13.5% less access to essential health services
Iran scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Syria scores 64 as of 2021.
Economy
be 63.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Syria, that number is 13.6% as of 2025.
make 73.1% less money
Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Syria, the GDP per capita is $1,057 as of 2022.
Life
have 84.2% more children
In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Syria, there are 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 25.0% 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 Syria, 20.0 women do as of 2023.
be 71.8% 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 Syria, on the other hand, 17.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.6% 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 Syria, that number is 88% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 45.4% less likely to have internet access
In Iran, approximately 85.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Syria, about 46.6% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 55.1% less on healthcare
Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Syria, that number is 2.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 92.1% less coastline
Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In Syria, that number is 193 km.
Safety
be 45.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Syria, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 43.1% less home broadband
Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Syria has 6.9 as of 2023.
live with 53.0% more strain on fresh water
Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Syria withdraws 124% as of 2022.
use 77.6% less electricity
Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Syria uses 854 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 86.0% less CO2
Iran emits 9.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Syria emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 62.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Syria, it causes 83.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iran vs. Syria
Syria: At a glance
How big is Syria compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.