Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of Italy, you would:
Health
be 86.4% less likely to die by suicide
Italy has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.0 years less
In Italy, the average life expectancy is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.9 times more likely to be obese
In Italy, 14.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 40.1% of people as of 2024.
see 30.4% less spent on your healthcare
Italy spends $4,993 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 as of 2023.
have 18.7% fewer doctors per person
Italy has 41.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Saudi Arabia has 34.1 as of 2023.
have 11.9% less access to essential health services
Italy scores 84 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Saudi Arabia scores 74 as of 2021.
Economy
be 52.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Italy, 6.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 20.3% less money
Italy has a GDP per capita of $43,309 as of 2025, while in Saudi Arabia, the GDP per capita is $34,537 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.6 times more children
In Italy, there are approximately 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, there are 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 16.7% 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 Saudi Arabia, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.0 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 Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.1% more likely to have internet access
In Italy, approximately 89.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 32.6% less on healthcare
Italy spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 10.1% more on education
Italy spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 65.3% less coastline
Italy has a total of 7,600 km of coastline. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 2,640 km.
Safety
be 3.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Italy, road accidents kill 5.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, they kill 18.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 38.7% more home broadband
Italy has 31.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Saudi Arabia has 44.1 as of 2024.
use 2.3 times more electricity
Italy uses 5,137 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh as of 2023.
live with 32.7 times more strain on fresh water
Italy withdraws 30% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% as of 2022.
Environment
be 6.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Italy, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Saudi Arabia, it causes 91.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.6 times more CO2
Italy emits 5.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Italy vs. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: At a glance
How big is Saudi Arabia compared to Italy? See an in-depth size comparison.