Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iraq instead of Italy, you would:
Health
be 57.5% less likely to die by suicide
Italy has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 11.5 years less
In Italy, the average life expectancy is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.8 times more likely to be obese
In Italy, 14.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 39.7% of people as of 2024.
see 83.1% less spent on your healthcare
Italy spends $4,993 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iraq spends $843 as of 2023.
have 75.6% fewer doctors per person
Italy has 41.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iraq has 10.2 as of 2022.
have 29.8% less access to essential health services
Italy scores 84 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iraq scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 12.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Italy, 20.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Iraq, however, that number is 17.5% as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Italy, 6.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iraq, that number is 15.5% as of 2025.
make 87.5% less money
Italy has a GDP per capita of $43,309 as of 2025, while in Iraq, the GDP per capita is $5,410 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.1 times more children
In Italy, there are approximately 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iraq, there are 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 11.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Italy, approximately 6.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iraq, 66.0 women do as of 2023.
be 15.4% less likely to be literate
In Italy, the literacy rate is 99.3% as of 2019. In Iraq, it is 84.1% as of 2021.
be 8.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Italy, approximately 2.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Iraq, on the other hand, 20.1 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 34.5% less on healthcare
Italy spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.2% less coastline
Italy has a total of 7,600 km of coastline. In Iraq, that number is 58 km.
Safety
be 4.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Italy, road accidents kill 5.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iraq, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 44.5% less home broadband
Italy has 31.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iraq has 17.6 as of 2024.
live with 2.0 times more strain on fresh water
Italy withdraws 30% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iraq withdraws 60% as of 2022.
use 73.2% less electricity
Italy uses 5,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iraq uses 1,377 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 5.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Italy, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iraq, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Italy vs. Iraq
Iraq: At a glance
How big is Iraq compared to Italy? See an in-depth size comparison.