Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Thailand instead of Iran, you would:
Health
be 33.4% less likely to be obese
In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 16.4% of people as of 2024.
have 10.8% more access to essential health services
Iran scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Thailand scores 82 as of 2021.
live 1.3 years less
In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 77 years (72 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
have 70.1% fewer doctors per person
Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Thailand has 5.4 as of 2021.
be 4.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Thailand, it is 16.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 90.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Thailand, that number is 0.8% as of 2025.
make 2.1 times more money
Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Thailand, the GDP per capita is $8,057 as of 2025.
Life
be 25.2% 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 Thailand, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2024.
be 2.1 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 Thailand, 34.0 women do as of 2023.
have 35.4% fewer children
In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Thailand, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.6% less on education
Iran spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Thailand spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 24.7% less on healthcare
Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Thailand, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 31.9% more coastline
Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In Thailand, that number is 3,219 km.
Safety
be 100.0% more likely to be murdered
Iran has a homicide rate of 2.4 per 100,000 people as of 2014. In Thailand, that number is 4.8 per 100,000 as of 2011.
be 23.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Thailand, they kill 25.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 23.5% more home broadband
Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Thailand has 14.9 as of 2024.
live with 71.7% less strain on fresh water
Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Thailand withdraws 23% as of 2022.
use 22.3% less electricity
Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Thailand uses 2,965 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 43.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Thailand, it causes 29.0 as of 2019.
emit 56.2% less CO2
Iran emits 9.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Thailand emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2011–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iran vs. Thailand
Thailand: At a glance
How big is Thailand compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.