Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iraq instead of Lesotho, you would:
Health
live 13.6 years longer
In Lesotho, the average life expectancy is 60 years (58 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2022. In Iraq, that number is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2022.
be 83.1% more likely to be obese
In Lesotho, 16.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Iraq, that number is 30.4% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 4.0 times more money
Lesotho has a GDP per capita of $2,300 as of 2020, while in Iraq, the GDP per capita is $9,300 as of 2020.
be 43.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Lesotho, 28.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2014. In Iraq, that number is 16.0% as of 2012.
be 53.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Lesotho, 49.7% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Iraq, however, that number is 23.0% as of 2014.
pay a 50.0% lower top tax rate
Lesotho has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2016. In Iraq, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 85.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Lesotho, approximately 544.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Iraq, 79.0 women do as of 2017.
be 59.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Lesotho, approximately 48.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Iraq, on the other hand, 19.6 children do as of 2022.
be 36.9% less likely to be literate
In Lesotho, the literacy rate is 79.4% as of 2015. In Iraq, it is 50.1% as of 2018.
Basic Needs
be 2.8 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Lesotho, approximately 36% of the population has electricity access as of 2019. In Iraq, 100% of the population do as of 2020.
be 39.5% more likely to have internet access
In Lesotho, approximately 43.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Iraq, about 60.0% do as of 2020.
be 20.2% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Lesotho, approximately 83% of people have improved drinking water access (96% in urban areas, and 77% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Iraq, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 60.2% less on healthcare
Lesotho spends 11.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Iraq, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2019.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance.
Iraq: At a glance
How big is Iraq compared to Lesotho? See an in-depth size comparison.