Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iraq instead of Maldives, you would:
Health
live 8.9 years less
In Maldives, the average life expectancy is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 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 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In Maldives, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 39.7% of people as of 2024.
see 63.2% less spent on your healthcare
Maldives spends $2,288 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iraq spends $843 as of 2023.
have 54.3% fewer doctors per person
Maldives has 22.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Iraq has 10.2 as of 2022.
be 2.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Maldives has a suicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.4 times more likely to be unemployed
In Maldives, 4.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iraq, that number is 15.5% as of 2025.
make 63.0% less money
Maldives has a GDP per capita of $14,615 as of 2025, while in Iraq, the GDP per capita is $5,410 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In Maldives, there are approximately 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iraq, there are 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Maldives, approximately 32.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iraq, 66.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.1% less likely to be literate
In Maldives, the literacy rate is 97.9% as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 84.1% as of 2021.
be 4.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Maldives, approximately 4.7 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 40.2% less on healthcare
Maldives spends 9.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iraq, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 91.0% less coastline
Maldives has a total of 644 km of coastline. In Iraq, that number is 58 km.
Safety
be 16.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Maldives, road accidents kill 1.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iraq, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 10.3% less home broadband
Maldives has 19.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iraq has 17.6 as of 2024.
live with 3.8 times more strain on fresh water
Maldives withdraws 16% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iraq withdraws 60% as of 2022.
Environment
be 3.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Maldives, air pollution causes 29.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iraq, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
emit 45.1% more CO2
Maldives emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Maldives vs. Iraq
Iraq: At a glance
How big is Iraq compared to Maldives? See an in-depth size comparison.