Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iraq instead of Netherlands, you would:
Health
be 74.2% less likely to die by suicide
Netherlands has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.5 years less
In Netherlands, the average life expectancy is 82 years (81 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 2.7 times more likely to be obese
In Netherlands, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 39.7% of people as of 2024.
see 89.7% less spent on your healthcare
Netherlands spends $8,195 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iraq spends $843 as of 2023.
have 73.6% fewer doctors per person
Netherlands has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iraq has 10.2 as of 2022.
have 30.6% less access to essential health services
Netherlands scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iraq scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 4.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Netherlands, 3.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iraq, that number is 15.5% as of 2025.
be 20.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Netherlands, 14.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Iraq, however, that number is 17.5% as of 2023.
make 92.7% less money
Netherlands has a GDP per capita of $73,684 as of 2025, while in Iraq, the GDP per capita is $5,410 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.8 times more children
In Netherlands, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iraq, there are 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 16.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Netherlands, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iraq, 66.0 women do as of 2023.
be 5.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Netherlands, approximately 3.4 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.
Basic Needs
be 16.0% less likely to have internet access
In Netherlands, approximately 97.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iraq, about 81.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 44.8% less on healthcare
Netherlands spends 10.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 87.1% less coastline
Netherlands has a total of 451 km of coastline. In Iraq, that number is 58 km.
Safety
be 6.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Netherlands, road accidents kill 3.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iraq, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 59.0% less home broadband
Netherlands has 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iraq has 17.6 as of 2024.
live with 3.6 times more strain on fresh water
Netherlands withdraws 17% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iraq withdraws 60% as of 2022.
use 78.4% less electricity
Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iraq uses 1,377 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 21.5% less CO2
Netherlands emits 6.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 6.7 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Netherlands, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iraq, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Netherlands vs. Iraq
Iraq: At a glance
How big is Iraq compared to Netherlands? See an in-depth size comparison.