Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iraq instead of Nepal, you would:
Health
live 1.8 years longer
In Nepal, the average life expectancy is 71 years (69 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Nepal spends $332 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iraq spends $843 as of 2023.
be 70.7% less likely to die by suicide
Nepal has a suicide rate of 10.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 5.0 times more likely to be obese
In Nepal, 8.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 39.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 13.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Nepal, 20.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Iraq, however, that number is 17.5% as of 2023.
make 3.5 times more money
Nepal has a GDP per capita of $1,536 as of 2025, while in Iraq, the GDP per capita is $5,410 as of 2025.
be 48.0% more likely to be unemployed
In Nepal, 10.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iraq, that number is 15.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 53.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nepal, approximately 142.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iraq, 66.0 women do as of 2023.
be 18.1% more likely to be literate
In Nepal, the literacy rate is 71.2% as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 84.1% as of 2021.
have 34.9% more children
In Nepal, there are approximately 19.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iraq, there are 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 75.9% more likely to have internet access
In Nepal, approximately 46.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iraq, about 81.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.2% less on healthcare
Nepal spends 6.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iraq, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 23.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Nepal, road accidents kill 28.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iraq, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 75.1% more home broadband
Nepal has 10.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iraq has 17.6 as of 2024.
use 3.9 times more electricity
Nepal uses 351 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iraq uses 1,377 kWh as of 2023.
live with 7.2 times more strain on fresh water
Nepal withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iraq withdraws 60% as of 2022.
Environment
be 14.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Nepal, air pollution causes 76.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iraq, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
emit 9.6 times more CO2
Nepal emits 0.5 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), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Nepal vs. Iraq
Iraq: At a glance
How big is Iraq compared to Nepal? See an in-depth size comparison.