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

Health

be 44.5% less likely to be obese

In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Kyrgyzstan, that number is 22.0% of people as of 2024.

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have 53.4% more doctors per person

Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Kyrgyzstan has 15.7 as of 2023.

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have 16.9% more access to essential health services

Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kyrgyzstan scores 69 as of 2021.

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see 58.6% less spent on your healthcare

Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kyrgyzstan spends $349 as of 2023.

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be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide

Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kyrgyzstan, it is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 77.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Kyrgyzstan, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.

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be 37.1% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iraq, 17.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Kyrgyzstan, however, that number is 24.0% as of 2025.

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make 43.0% less money

Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in Kyrgyzstan, the GDP per capita is $3,081 as of 2025.

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Life

be 36.4% 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 Kyrgyzstan, 42.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 18.5% more likely to be literate

In Iraq, the literacy rate is 84.1% as of 2021. In Kyrgyzstan, it is 99.6% as of 2018.

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be 26.4% 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 Kyrgyzstan, on the other hand, 14.8 children do as of 2024.

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have 24.2% fewer children

In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kyrgyzstan, there are 19.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 13.0% more likely to have internet access

In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Kyrgyzstan, about 92.0% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 18.6% less on healthcare

Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kyrgyzstan, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 38.1% less likely to die in a road accident

In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Kyrgyzstan, they kill 13.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 16.0% less strain on fresh water

Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Kyrgyzstan withdraws 50% as of 2022.

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use 50.2% more electricity

Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Kyrgyzstan uses 2,069 kWh as of 2023.

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find 55.8% less home broadband

Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Kyrgyzstan has 7.8 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 71.2% less CO2

Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kyrgyzstan emits 1.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2018). How we calculate this

Kyrgyzstan: At a glance

Kyrgyzstan is a sovereign country in Central Asia, with a total land area of approximately 191,801 sq km. A Central Asian country of incredible natural beauty and proud nomadic traditions, most of Kyrgyzstan was formally annexed to Russia in 1876. The Kyrgyz staged a major revolt against the Tsarist Empire in 1916 in which almost one-sixth of the Kyrgyz population was killed. Kyrgyzstan became a Soviet republic in 1936 and achieved independence in 1991 when the USSR dissolved. Nationwide demonstrations in the spring of 2005 resulted in the ouster of President Askar AKAEV, who had run the country since 1990. Former prime minister Kurmanbek BAKIEV overwhelmingly won the presidential election in the summer of 2005. Over the next few years, he manipulated the parliament to accrue new powers for the presidency. In July 2009, after months of harassment against his opponents and media critics, BAKIEV won re-election in a presidential campaign that the international community deemed flawed. In April 2010, violent protests in Bishkek led to the collapse of the BAKIEV regime and his eventual fleeing to Minsk, Belarus. His successor, Roza OTUNBAEVA, served as transitional president until Almazbek ATAMBAEV was inaugurated in December 2011, marking the first peaceful transfer of presidential power in independent Kyrgyzstan's history. Continuing concerns include: the trajectory of democratization, endemic corruption, poor interethnic relations, and terrorism.
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