Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iran instead of Kuwait, you would:
Health
be 39.2% less likely to be obese
In Kuwait, 40.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 24.6% of people as of 2024.
live 6.7 years less
In Kuwait, the average life expectancy is 85 years (84 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
see 58.5% less spent on your healthcare
Kuwait spends $2,567 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iran spends $1,064 as of 2023.
have 20.3% fewer doctors per person
Kuwait has 22.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Iran has 18.1 as of 2023.
be 76.2% more likely to die by suicide
Kuwait has a suicide rate of 2.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iran, it is 4.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Kuwait, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iran, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
make 87.9% less money
Kuwait has a GDP per capita of $32,312 as of 2025, while in Iran, the GDP per capita is $3,924 as of 2025.
Life
have 25.4% more children
In Kuwait, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iran, there are 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 100.0% more likely to die during childbirth
In Kuwait, approximately 8.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iran, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 47.1% more likely to die during infancy
In Kuwait, approximately 7.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Iran, on the other hand, 10.3 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 14.7% less likely to have internet access
In Kuwait, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Iran, about 85.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 56.2% less on education
Kuwait spends 6.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Iran spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 21.6% more on healthcare
Kuwait spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iran, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.9 times more coastline
Kuwait has a total of 499 km of coastline. In Iran, that number is 2,440 km.
Safety
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Kuwait, road accidents kill 9.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iran, they kill 20.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 11.9 times more home broadband
Kuwait has 1.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Iran has 12.1 as of 2024.
live with 97.9% less strain on fresh water
Kuwait withdraws 3850% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iran withdraws 81% as of 2022.
use 76.9% less electricity
Kuwait uses 16,496 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iran uses 3,815 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 61.8% less CO2
Kuwait emits 23.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iran emits 9.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 13.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Kuwait, air pollution causes 45.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iran, it causes 51.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Kuwait vs. Iran
Iran: At a glance
How big is Iran compared to Kuwait? See an in-depth size comparison.