Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
live 5.6 years longer
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In China, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 76.6% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In China, that number is 9.3% of people as of 2024.
see 76.4% more spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). China spends $1,487 as of 2023.
have 3.0 times more doctors per person
Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. China has 31.1 as of 2022.
have 37.3% more access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. China scores 81 as of 2021.
be 3.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In China, it is 8.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 70.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In China, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
make 2.6 times more money
Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in China, the GDP per capita is $13,862 as of 2025.
Life
be 75.8% less 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 China, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 15.1% more likely to be literate
In Iraq, the literacy rate is 84.1% as of 2021. In China, it is 96.7% as of 2020.
be 79.6% less 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 China, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 73.5% fewer children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.4% more likely to have internet access
In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In China, about 91.6% do as of 2025.
Geography
see 250.0 times more coastline
Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.
Safety
be 19.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In China, they kill 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.7 times more home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. China has 47.2 as of 2024.
live with 30.3% less strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. China withdraws 42% as of 2022.
use 4.7 times more electricity
Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. China uses 6,524 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 26.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In China, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
emit 79.9% more CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. China emits 9.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iraq vs. China
China: At a glance
How big is China compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.