Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Eritrea instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
be 89.1% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Eritrea, that number is 4.3% of people as of 2024.
live 3.5 years less
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Eritrea, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 89.7% less spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Eritrea spends $87 as of 2023.
have 91.4% fewer doctors per person
Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Eritrea has 0.9 as of 2022.
have 23.7% less access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Eritrea scores 45 as of 2021.
be 4.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Eritrea, it is 13.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 61.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Eritrea, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
Life
have 12.3% more children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Eritrea, there are 28.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.4 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 Eritrea, 291.0 women do as of 2023.
be 22.9% 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 Eritrea, on the other hand, 24.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 45.6% 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 Eritrea, that number is 54% of people on average (77% in urban areas, and 37% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 67.4% less likely to have internet access
In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Eritrea, about 26.6% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 33.5% less on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Eritrea, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 38.5 times more coastline
Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In Eritrea, that number is 2,234 km.
Safety
be 17.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Eritrea, they kill 17.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 55.3% more likely to be murdered
Iraq has a homicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2013. In Eritrea, that number is 14.6 per 100,000 as of 2012.
Infrastructure
live with 81.2% less strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Eritrea withdraws 11% as of 2022.
find 99.0% less home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Eritrea has 0.2 as of 2022.
use 91.0% less electricity
Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Eritrea uses 123 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 10.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Eritrea, it causes 78.0 as of 2019.
emit 95.8% less CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Eritrea emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2012–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iraq vs. Eritrea
Eritrea: At a glance
How big is Eritrea compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.