Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iran instead of Namibia, you would:
Health
live 10.3 years longer
In Namibia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (63 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
have 3.3 times more doctors per person
Namibia has 5.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iran has 18.1 as of 2023.
have 17.5% more access to essential health services
Namibia scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iran scores 74 as of 2021.
be 52.6% less likely to die by suicide
Namibia has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iran, it is 4.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 34.5% more likely to be obese
In Namibia, 18.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 24.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 57.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Namibia, 19.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iran, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
make 19.5% less money
Namibia has a GDP per capita of $4,876 as of 2025, while in Iran, the GDP per capita is $3,924 as of 2025.
Life
be 88.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Namibia, approximately 139.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iran, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 71.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Namibia, approximately 36.4 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 51.4% fewer children
In Namibia, there are approximately 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iran, there are 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 76.4% more likely to have access to electricity
In Namibia, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (75% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Iran, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 31.6% more likely to have internet access
In Namibia, approximately 64.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iran, about 85.3% do as of 2024.
be 13.1% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Namibia, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 98% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 68.9% less on education
Namibia spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Iran spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 36.4% less on healthcare
Namibia spends 9.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iran, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 55.2% more coastline
Namibia has a total of 1,572 km of coastline. In Iran, that number is 2,440 km.
Infrastructure
find 4.3 times more home broadband
Namibia has 2.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iran has 12.1 as of 2024.
use 3.1 times more electricity
Namibia uses 1,232 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iran uses 3,815 kWh as of 2023.
live with 262.2 times more strain on fresh water
Namibia withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iran withdraws 81% as of 2022.
Environment
be 18.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Namibia, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iran, it causes 51.0 as of 2019.
emit 7.5 times more CO2
Namibia emits 1.2 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. How we calculate this
Compare further: Namibia vs. Iran
Iran: At a glance
How big is Iran compared to Namibia? See an in-depth size comparison.