Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Yemen instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
be 66.4% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Yemen, that number is 13.3% of people as of 2024.
live 3.0 years less
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Yemen, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
see 80.0% less spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Yemen spends $169 as of 2023.
have 90.4% fewer doctors per person
Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Yemen has 1.0 as of 2023.
have 28.8% less access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Yemen scores 42 as of 2021.
be 41.8% more likely to die by suicide
Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Yemen, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 11.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Yemen, that number is 17.3% as of 2025.
Life
have 34.3% more children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Yemen, there are 34.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 78.8% 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 Yemen, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
be 68.2% 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 Yemen, on the other hand, 33.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 16.4% 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 Yemen, that number is 84% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 75% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 78.3% less likely to have internet access
In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Yemen, about 17.7% do as of 2022.
be 23.7% 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 Yemen, that number is 75% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 66% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 75.4% more on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Yemen, that number is 9.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 32.9 times more coastline
Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In Yemen, that number is 1,906 km.
Safety
be 33.0% less likely to be murdered
Iraq has a homicide rate of 9.4 per 100,000 people as of 2013. In Yemen, that number is 6.3 per 100,000 as of 2013.
be 38.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Yemen, they kill 29.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 92.8% less home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Yemen has 1.3 as of 2022.
live with 2.8 times more strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Yemen withdraws 170% as of 2022.
use 93.5% less electricity
Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Yemen uses 90 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 95.0% less CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Yemen emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 25.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Yemen, it causes 109.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2013–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iraq vs. Yemen
Yemen: At a glance
How big is Yemen compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.