Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
live 9.6 years longer
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 14.3% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 34.0% of people as of 2024.
see 6.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
have 3.5 times more doctors per person
Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.
have 44.1% more access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. New Zealand scores 85 as of 2021.
be 4.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 67.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Zealand, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 9.2 times more money
Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
Life
be 89.4% 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 New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 80.1% 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 New Zealand, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2024.
have 56.9% fewer children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 14.8% more likely to have internet access
In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In New Zealand, about 93.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 81.9% more on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 260.9 times more coastline
Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 69.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.2 times more home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
live with 86.5% less strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 5.8 times more electricity
Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 86.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 16.0% more CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iraq vs. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.