Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Nepal instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
be 79.9% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nepal, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.
live 1.8 years less
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Nepal, that number is 71 years (69 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
see 60.6% less spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nepal spends $332 as of 2023.
be 3.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nepal, it is 10.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 32.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nepal, that number is 10.5% as of 2025.
be 16.0% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iraq, 17.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Nepal, however, that number is 20.3% as of 2022.
make 71.6% less money
Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in Nepal, the GDP per capita is $1,536 as of 2025.
Life
be 2.2 times 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 Nepal, 142.0 women do as of 2023.
be 15.3% less likely to be literate
In Iraq, the literacy rate is 84.1% as of 2021. In Nepal, it is 71.2% as of 2021.
be 10.4% 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 Nepal, on the other hand, 22.2 children do as of 2024.
have 25.9% fewer children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nepal, there are 19.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 43.1% less likely to have internet access
In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nepal, about 46.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.4% more on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nepal, that number is 6.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 31.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nepal, they kill 28.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 86.1% less strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nepal withdraws 8% as of 2022.
find 42.9% less home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Nepal has 10.1 as of 2024.
use 74.5% less electricity
Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Nepal uses 351 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 12.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nepal, it causes 76.0 as of 2019.
emit 89.6% less CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nepal emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iraq vs. Nepal
Nepal: At a glance
How big is Nepal compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.