Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vietnam instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
live 2.3 years longer
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Vietnam, that number is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
be 94.0% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vietnam, that number is 2.4% of people as of 2024.
have 15.3% more access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vietnam scores 68 as of 2021.
see 18.2% less spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vietnam spends $690 as of 2023.
be 2.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Vietnam, it is 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 90.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vietnam, that number is 1.5% as of 2025.
be 76.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Iraq, 17.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Vietnam, however, that number is 4.2% as of 2022.
Life
be 27.3% 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 Vietnam, 48.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.4% more likely to be literate
In Iraq, the literacy rate is 84.1% as of 2021. In Vietnam, it is 96.1% as of 2022.
be 40.3% 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 Vietnam, on the other hand, 12.0 children do as of 2024.
have 47.5% fewer children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vietnam, there are 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.5% less on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Vietnam, that number is 4.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 59.4 times more coastline
Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In Vietnam, that number is 3,444 km.
Safety
be 84.0% less likely to be murdered
Iraq has a homicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2013. In Vietnam, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2011.
be 17.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Vietnam, they kill 17.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 34.5% more home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vietnam has 23.7 as of 2024.
live with 69.6% less strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Vietnam withdraws 18% as of 2022.
use 87.7% more electricity
Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Vietnam uses 2,585 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 40.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vietnam, it causes 52.0 as of 2019.
emit 17.6% less CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vietnam emits 4.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2011–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iraq vs. Vietnam
Vietnam: At a glance
How big is Vietnam compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.