Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Kuwait instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
live 12.2 years longer
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Kuwait, that number is 85 years (84 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
see 3.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kuwait spends $2,567 as of 2023.
have 2.2 times more doctors per person
Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Kuwait has 22.7 as of 2020.
have 32.2% more access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kuwait scores 78 as of 2021.
be 22.2% less likely to die by suicide
Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kuwait, it is 2.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 85.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Kuwait, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 6.0 times more money
Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in Kuwait, the GDP per capita is $32,312 as of 2025.
Life
be 87.9% 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 Kuwait, 8.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.8% more likely to be literate
In Iraq, the literacy rate is 84.1% as of 2021. In Kuwait, it is 96.5% as of 2020.
be 65.2% 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 Kuwait, on the other hand, 7.0 children do as of 2024.
have 60.8% fewer children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kuwait, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 22.7% more likely to have internet access
In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Kuwait, about 100.0% do as of 2025.
Expenditures
spend 10.3% less on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kuwait, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 8.6 times more coastline
Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In Kuwait, that number is 499 km.
Safety
be 57.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kuwait, they kill 9.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 12.0 times more electricity
Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Kuwait uses 16,496 kWh as of 2023.
find 94.3% less home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kuwait has 1.0 as of 2023.
live with 64.6 times more strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Kuwait withdraws 3850% as of 2022.
Environment
be 48.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Kuwait, it causes 45.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.6 times more CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kuwait emits 23.7 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iraq vs. Kuwait
Kuwait: At a glance
How big is Kuwait compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.