Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burundi instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
be 86.9% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 5.2% of people as of 2024.
live 8.6 years less
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
see 88.1% less spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burundi spends $100 as of 2023.
have 92.4% fewer doctors per person
Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burundi has 0.8 as of 2022.
have 30.5% less access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burundi scores 41 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burundi, it is 7.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 94.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burundi, that number is 0.9% as of 2025.
be 2.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iraq, 17.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Burundi, however, that number is 51.0% as of 2020.
make 95.7% less money
Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in Burundi, the GDP per capita is $234 as of 2025.
Life
have 29.8% more children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burundi, there are 33.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.9 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 Burundi, 392.0 women do as of 2023.
be 11.1% less likely to be literate
In Iraq, the literacy rate is 84.1% as of 2021. In Burundi, it is 74.7% as of 2021.
be 51.7% 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 Burundi, on the other hand, 30.5 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 88.4% 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 Burundi, that number is 12% of people on average (65% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 89.4% less likely to have internet access
In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burundi, about 8.6% do as of 2024.
be 33.0% 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 Burundi, that number is 66% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 61% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 64.4% more on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burundi, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 39.9% less likely to be murdered
Iraq has a homicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2013. In Burundi, that number is 5.7 per 100,000 as of 2016.
be 42.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burundi, they kill 12.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 82.9% less strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burundi withdraws 10% as of 2022.
find 99.9% less home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burundi has 0.0 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 Burundi, it causes 71.0 as of 2019.
emit 98.6% less CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burundi emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2013–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iraq vs. Burundi
Burundi: At a glance
How big is Burundi compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.