Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iran instead of Moldova, you would:
Health
live 6.5 years longer
In Moldova, the average life expectancy is 71 years (67 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
be 71.2% less likely to die by suicide
Moldova has a suicide rate of 14.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iran, it is 4.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 10.2% more likely to be obese
In Moldova, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 24.6% of people as of 2024.
have 54.9% fewer doctors per person
Moldova has 40.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iran has 18.1 as of 2023.
Economy
be 5.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Moldova, 1.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iran, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
make 54.5% less money
Moldova has a GDP per capita of $8,622 as of 2025, while in Iran, the GDP per capita is $3,924 as of 2025.
Life
be 15.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Moldova, approximately 19.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iran, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 31.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Moldova, approximately 15.1 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.
have 18.7% more children
In Moldova, there are approximately 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iran, there are 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 10.7% less likely to be literate
In Moldova, the literacy rate is 99.6% as of 2021. In Iran, it is 88.9% as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 10.3% more likely to have internet access
In Moldova, approximately 77.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iran, about 85.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 57.0% less on education
Moldova spends 6.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Iran spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 10.5% less on healthcare
Moldova spends 6.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iran, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Moldova, road accidents kill 9.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iran, they kill 20.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 58.2% more electricity
Moldova uses 2,412 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iran uses 3,815 kWh as of 2023.
find 59.3% less home broadband
Moldova has 29.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iran has 12.1 as of 2024.
live with 6.5 times more strain on fresh water
Moldova withdraws 13% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iran withdraws 81% as of 2022.
Environment
be 12.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Moldova, air pollution causes 58.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iran, it causes 51.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.6 times more CO2
Moldova emits 3.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iran emits 9.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Moldova vs. Iran
Iran: At a glance
How big is Iran compared to Moldova? See an in-depth size comparison.