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

Health

live 11.5 years longer

In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 64.8% less likely to be obese

In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 14.0% of people as of 2024.

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see 5.9 times more spent on your healthcare

Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Italy spends $4,993 as of 2024.

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have 4.1 times more doctors per person

Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Italy has 41.9 as of 2022.

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have 42.4% more access to essential health services

Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Italy scores 84 as of 2021.

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be 2.4 times more likely to die by suicide

Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Italy, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 58.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Italy, that number is 6.4% as of 2025.

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make 8.0 times more money

Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in Italy, the GDP per capita is $43,309 as of 2025.

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be 14.9% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iraq, 17.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Italy, however, that number is 20.1% as of 2021.

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Life

be 90.9% 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 Italy, 6.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 18.2% more likely to be literate

In Iraq, the literacy rate is 84.1% as of 2021. In Italy, it is 99.3% as of 2019.

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be 88.6% 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 Italy, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 75.4% fewer children

In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Italy, there are 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 52.6% more on healthcare

Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Italy, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2024.

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Geography

see 131.0 times more coastline

Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In Italy, that number is 7,600 km.

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Safety

be 76.7% less likely to die in a road accident

In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Italy, they kill 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 80.3% more home broadband

Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Italy has 31.8 as of 2024.

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live with 50.0% less strain on fresh water

Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Italy withdraws 30% as of 2022.

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use 3.7 times more electricity

Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Italy uses 5,137 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

be 82.8% less likely to die from air pollution

In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Italy, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Italy: At a glance

Italy is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 294,140 sq km. Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy is a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include sluggish economic growth, high youth and female unemployment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.
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How big is Italy compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.

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