Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
live 11.2 years longer
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
be 78.9% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 6.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 2.6 times more doctors per person
Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 50.8% more access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 9.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 82.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 6.7 times more money
Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 93.9% 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 South Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 16.6% more likely to be literate
In Iraq, the literacy rate is 84.1% as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 98.0% as of 2019.
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 South Korea, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
have 81.6% fewer children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 20.2% more likely to have internet access
In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 57.0% more on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 41.6 times more coastline
Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 67.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.7 times more home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 8.2 times more electricity
Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 43.0% more strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 78.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.2 times more CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2019), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iraq vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.