Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Greenland instead of Iraq, you would:

Health

be 29.3% less likely to be obese

In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Greenland, that number is 28.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 2.2 years less

In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Greenland, that number is 70 years (68 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

make 10.8 times more money

Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in Greenland, the GDP per capita is $58,499 as of 2023.

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Life

be 56.5% 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 Greenland, on the other hand, 8.8 children do as of 2022.

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have 53.1% fewer children

In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Greenland, there are 12.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 14.7% less likely to have internet access

In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Greenland, about 69.5% do as of 2021.

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Expenditures

spend 2.2 times more on education

Iraq spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2016. Greenland spends 10.2% of total GDP on education as of 2019.

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Geography

see 760.1 times more coastline

Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In Greenland, that number is 44,087 km.

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Safety

be 43.1% less likely to be murdered

Iraq has a homicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2013. In Greenland, that number is 5.3 per 100,000 as of 2016.

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Infrastructure

find 81.4% more home broadband

Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Greenland has 32.0 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 2.0 times more CO2

Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Greenland emits 10.4 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), The World Factbook (2016–2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2013). How we calculate this

Compare further: Iraq vs. Greenland

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Greenland is 3.6 times more expensive than Iraq overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Iraq is about 4.9 times smaller than Greenland.
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Moving from Iraq to Greenland · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Greenland: At a glance

Greenland is a sovereign country in North America, with a total land area of approximately 2,166,086 sq km. Greenland, the world's largest island, is about 81% ice-capped. Vikings reached the island in the 10th century from Iceland; Danish colonization began in the 18th century, and Greenland was made an integral part of Denmark in 1953. It joined the European Community (now the EU) with Denmark in 1973 but withdrew in 1985 over a dispute centered on stringent fishing quotas. Greenland was granted self-government in 1979 by the Danish parliament; the law went into effect the following year. Greenland voted in favor of increased self-rule in November 2008 and acquired greater responsibility for internal affairs when the Act on Greenland Self-Government was signed into law in June 2009. Denmark, however, continues to exercise control over several policy areas on behalf of Greenland including foreign affairs, security, and financial policy in consultation with Greenland's Self-Rule Government.
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How big is Greenland compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.

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