Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sudan instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
be 55.2% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sudan, that number is 17.8% of people as of 2024.
live 5.9 years less
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Sudan, that number is 67 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
see 96.6% less spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sudan spends $28 as of 2023.
have 25.4% less access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sudan scores 44 as of 2021.
Economy
be 26.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sudan, that number is 11.4% as of 2023.
make 78.5% less money
Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in Sudan, the GDP per capita is $1,165 as of 2025.
Life
have 29.0% more children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sudan, there are 33.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.9 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 Sudan, 256.0 women do as of 2023.
be 27.8% less likely to be literate
In Iraq, the literacy rate is 84.1% as of 2021. In Sudan, it is 60.7% as of 2018.
be 2.1 times 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 Sudan, on the other hand, 42.9 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 34.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Iraq, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Sudan, that number is 66% of people on average (87% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 64.8% less likely to have internet access
In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Sudan, about 28.7% do as of 2022.
be 34.1% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Iraq, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Sudan, that number is 65% of people on average (74% in urban areas, and 60% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 48.5% less on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sudan, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 14.7 times more coastline
Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In Sudan, that number is 853 km.
Infrastructure
find 99.7% less home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sudan has 0.1 as of 2022.
live with 99.2% more strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sudan withdraws 119% as of 2022.
use 83.8% less electricity
Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sudan uses 223 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 19.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sudan, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 91.7% less CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sudan emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2018–2023), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iraq vs. Sudan
Sudan: At a glance
How big is Sudan compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.