Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iraq instead of Japan, you would:
Health
be 83.0% less likely to die by suicide
Japan has a suicide rate of 17.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 11.6 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 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 6.7 times more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 39.7% of people as of 2024.
see 84.3% less spent on your healthcare
Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iraq spends $843 as of 2023.
have 61.4% fewer doctors per person
Japan has 26.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iraq has 10.2 as of 2022.
have 28.9% less access to essential health services
Japan scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iraq scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 6.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iraq, that number is 15.5% as of 2025.
make 85.0% less money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in Iraq, the GDP per capita is $5,410 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.5 times more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iraq, there are 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 22.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Japan, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iraq, 66.0 women do as of 2023.
be 11.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Japan, approximately 1.8 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 48.5% less on healthcare
Japan spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iraq, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.8% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Iraq, that number is 58 km.
Safety
be 8.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iraq, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 54.4% less home broadband
Japan has 38.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Iraq has 17.6 as of 2024.
live with 62.6% more strain on fresh water
Japan withdraws 37% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iraq withdraws 60% as of 2022.
use 81.7% less electricity
Japan uses 7,530 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iraq uses 1,377 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 33.9% less CO2
Japan emits 7.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 7.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Japan, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iraq, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Japan vs. Iraq
Iraq: At a glance
How big is Iraq compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.