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

Health

be 79.8% less likely to be obese

In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In India, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.

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see 58.9% less spent on your healthcare

Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). India spends $346 as of 2023.

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have 29.3% fewer doctors per person

Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. India has 7.2 as of 2020.

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be 4.2 times more likely to die by suicide

Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In India, it is 12.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 72.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In India, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.

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make 50.0% less money

Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in India, the GDP per capita is $2,702 as of 2025.

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Life

be 21.2% 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 India, 80.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 15.9% 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 India, on the other hand, 23.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 37.5% fewer children

In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In India, there are 16.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 14.1% less likely to have internet access

In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In India, about 70.0% do as of 2025.

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Expenditures

spend 39.6% less on healthcare

Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In India, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 120.7 times more coastline

Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In India, that number is 7,000 km.

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Safety

be 28.4% less likely to die in a road accident

In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In India, they kill 15.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 82.1% less home broadband

Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. India has 3.1 as of 2024.

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live with 11.6% more strain on fresh water

Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. India withdraws 66% as of 2022.

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use 14.2% less electricity

Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. India uses 1,182 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 58.1% less CO2

Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. India emits 2.2 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this

India: At a glance

India is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 2,973,193 sq km. The Indus Valley civilization, one of the world's oldest, flourished during the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C. and extended into northwestern India. Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated the Indian subcontinent about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. The Maurya Empire of the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. - which reached its zenith under ASHOKA - united much of South Asia. The Golden Age ushered in by the Gupta dynasty (4th to 6th centuries A.D.) saw a flowering of Indian science, art, and culture. Islam spread across the subcontinent over a period of 700 years. In the 10th and 11th centuries, Turks and Afghans invaded India and established the Delhi Sultanate. In the early 16th century, the Emperor BABUR established the Mughal Dynasty which ruled India for more than three centuries. European explorers began establishing footholds in India during the 16th century. By the 19th century, Great Britain had become the dominant political power on the subcontinent. The British Indian Army played a vital role in both World Wars. Years of nonviolent resistance to British rule, led by Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU, eventually resulted in Indian independence, which was granted in 1947. Large-scale communal violence took place before and after the subcontinent partition into two separate states - India and Pakistan. The neighboring nations have fought three wars since independence, the last of which was in 1971 and resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. India's nuclear weapons tests in 1998 emboldened Pakistan to conduct its own tests that same year. In November 2008, terrorists originating from Pakistan conducted a series of coordinated attacks in Mumbai, India's financial capital. Despite pressing problems such as significant overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and widespread corruption, economic growth following the launch of economic reforms in 1991 and a massive youthful population are driving India's emergence as a regional and global power.
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