Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iraq instead of Latvia, you would:
Health
be 80.5% less likely to die by suicide
Latvia has a suicide rate of 15.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.0 years less
In Latvia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 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 77.9% more likely to be obese
In Latvia, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 39.7% of people as of 2024.
see 72.2% less spent on your healthcare
Latvia spends $3,034 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iraq spends $843 as of 2023.
have 69.9% fewer doctors per person
Latvia has 34.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iraq has 10.2 as of 2022.
have 21.3% less access to essential health services
Latvia scores 75 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iraq scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 22.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Latvia, 22.5% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Iraq, however, that number is 17.5% as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Latvia, 6.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iraq, that number is 15.5% as of 2025.
make 79.4% less money
Latvia has a GDP per capita of $26,312 as of 2025, while in Iraq, the GDP per capita is $5,410 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.7 times more children
In Latvia, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iraq, there are 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Latvia, approximately 19.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iraq, 66.0 women do as of 2023.
be 15.9% less likely to be literate
In Latvia, the literacy rate is 99.9% as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 84.1% as of 2021.
be 9.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Latvia, approximately 2.2 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.
Basic Needs
be 12.1% less likely to have internet access
In Latvia, approximately 92.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iraq, about 81.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 24.0% less on healthcare
Latvia spends 7.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iraq, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 88.4% less coastline
Latvia has a total of 498 km of coastline. In Iraq, that number is 58 km.
Safety
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Latvia, road accidents kill 9.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iraq, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 31.5% less home broadband
Latvia has 25.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iraq has 17.6 as of 2024.
live with 58.4 times more strain on fresh water
Latvia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iraq withdraws 60% as of 2022.
use 63.4% less electricity
Latvia uses 3,768 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iraq uses 1,377 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 2.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Latvia, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iraq, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
emit 41.9% more CO2
Latvia emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Latvia vs. Iraq
Iraq: At a glance
How big is Iraq compared to Latvia? See an in-depth size comparison.