Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burma instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
be 79.5% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burma, that number is 8.1% of people as of 2024.
live 5.3 years less
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Burma, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
see 66.4% less spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burma spends $283 as of 2023.
have 25.9% fewer doctors per person
Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burma has 7.6 as of 2019.
have 11.9% less access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burma scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
be 80.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burma, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 72.5% less money
Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in Burma, the GDP per capita is $1,489 as of 2025.
Life
be 11.3% more likely to be literate
In Iraq, the literacy rate is 84.1% as of 2021. In Burma, it is 93.5% as of 2020.
be 2.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iraq, approximately 66.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Burma, 185.0 women do as of 2023.
be 63.2% more likely to die during infancy
In Iraq, approximately 20.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Burma, on the other hand, 32.8 children do as of 2024.
have 35.7% fewer children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burma, there are 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 23.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In Iraq, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Burma, that number is 77% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 69% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 46.0% less likely to have internet access
In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burma, about 44.0% do as of 2021.
be 12.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Iraq, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Burma, that number is 86% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 57.4% less on education
Iraq spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2016. Burma spends 2.0% of total GDP on education as of 2019.
spend 19.3% less on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burma, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 33.3 times more coastline
Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In Burma, that number is 1,930 km.
Safety
be 10.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burma, they kill 19.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 90.3% less strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burma withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 83.7% less home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burma has 2.9 as of 2024.
use 73.3% less electricity
Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Burma uses 368 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 18.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burma, it causes 71.0 as of 2019.
emit 88.8% less CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burma emits 0.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2016–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iraq vs. Burma
Burma: At a glance
How big is Burma compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.