Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ecuador instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
live 5.2 years longer
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Ecuador, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
be 27.1% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ecuador, that number is 28.9% of people as of 2024.
see 46.9% more spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ecuador spends $1,238 as of 2023.
have 2.3 times more doctors per person
Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Ecuador has 23.1 as of 2020.
have 30.5% more access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ecuador scores 77 as of 2021.
be 2.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ecuador, it is 7.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 78.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ecuador, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
make 31.7% more money
Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in Ecuador, the GDP per capita is $7,125 as of 2025.
be 22.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iraq, 17.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Ecuador, however, that number is 21.4% as of 2025.
Life
be 16.7% 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 Ecuador, 55.0 women do as of 2023.
be 11.2% more likely to be literate
In Iraq, the literacy rate is 84.1% as of 2021. In Ecuador, it is 93.5% as of 2024.
be 45.8% 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 Ecuador, on the other hand, 10.9 children do as of 2024.
have 42.1% fewer children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ecuador, there are 14.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 36.7% more on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ecuador, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 38.6 times more coastline
Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In Ecuador, that number is 2,237 km.
Infrastructure
live with 88.6% less strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ecuador withdraws 7% as of 2022.
use 21.7% more electricity
Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ecuador uses 1,676 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 73.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ecuador, it causes 23.0 as of 2019.
emit 49.0% less CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ecuador emits 2.6 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. Ecuador
Ecuador: At a glance
How big is Ecuador compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.