Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iraq instead of New Zealand, you would:
Health
be 75.1% less likely to die by suicide
New Zealand has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.6 years less
In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 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 16.7% more likely to be obese
In New Zealand, 34.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 39.7% of people as of 2024.
see 84.9% less spent on your healthcare
New Zealand spends $5,576 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iraq spends $843 as of 2023.
have 71.7% fewer doctors per person
New Zealand has 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iraq has 10.2 as of 2022.
have 30.6% less access to essential health services
New Zealand scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iraq scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In New Zealand, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iraq, that number is 15.5% as of 2025.
make 89.1% less money
New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in Iraq, the GDP per capita is $5,410 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.3 times more children
In New Zealand, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iraq, there are 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 9.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In New Zealand, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iraq, 66.0 women do as of 2023.
be 5.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In New Zealand, approximately 4.0 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 12.9% less likely to have internet access
In New Zealand, approximately 93.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iraq, about 81.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 45.0% less on healthcare
New Zealand spends 10.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.6% less coastline
New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In Iraq, that number is 58 km.
Safety
be 3.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In New Zealand, road accidents kill 6.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iraq, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 53.7% less home broadband
New Zealand has 38.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iraq has 17.6 as of 2024.
live with 7.4 times more strain on fresh water
New Zealand withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iraq withdraws 60% as of 2022.
use 82.8% less electricity
New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iraq uses 1,377 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 13.8% less CO2
New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 7.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In New Zealand, air pollution causes 12.0 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: New Zealand vs. Iraq
Iraq: At a glance
How big is Iraq compared to New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.