Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Syria instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
be 16.9% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 33.0% of people as of 2024.
have 48.8% more doctors per person
Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Syria has 15.2 as of 2021.
be 80.1% less likely to die by suicide
Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Syria, it is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 85.5% less spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Syria spends $122 as of 2023.
Economy
be 12.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Syria, that number is 13.6% as of 2025.
make 80.5% less money
Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in Syria, the GDP per capita is $1,057 as of 2022.
Life
be 69.7% 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 Syria, 20.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.3% more likely to be literate
In Iraq, the literacy rate is 84.1% as of 2021. In Syria, it is 94.4% as of 2021.
be 11.9% 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 Syria, on the other hand, 17.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.6% 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 Syria, that number is 88% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 42.8% less likely to have internet access
In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Syria, about 46.6% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 51.0% less on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Syria, that number is 2.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.3 times more coastline
Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In Syria, that number is 193 km.
Safety
be 77.7% less likely to be murdered
Iraq has a homicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2013. In Syria, that number is 2.1 per 100,000 as of 2010.
be 39.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Syria, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 61.1% less home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Syria has 6.9 as of 2023.
live with 2.1 times more strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Syria withdraws 124% as of 2022.
use 38.0% less electricity
Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Syria uses 854 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 75.5% less CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Syria emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2010–2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iraq vs. Syria
Syria: At a glance
How big is Syria compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.