Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iran instead of Nigeria, you would:
Health
live 23.2 years longer
In Nigeria, the average life expectancy is 55 years (54 years for men, 55 years for women) as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
see 4.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Nigeria spends $260 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iran spends $1,064 as of 2023.
have 4.8 times more doctors per person
Nigeria has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iran has 18.1 as of 2023.
have 94.7% more access to essential health services
Nigeria scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iran scores 74 as of 2021.
be 18.4% less likely to die by suicide
Nigeria has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iran, it is 4.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 79.7% more likely to be obese
In Nigeria, 13.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 24.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 3.2 times more money
Nigeria has a GDP per capita of $1,224 as of 2025, while in Iran, the GDP per capita is $3,924 as of 2025.
be 2.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Nigeria, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iran, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 98.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nigeria, approximately 993.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iran, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 26.3% more likely to be literate
In Nigeria, the literacy rate is 70.4% as of 2024. In Iran, it is 88.9% as of 2023.
be 85.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Nigeria, approximately 69.8 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 61.3% fewer children
In Nigeria, there are approximately 32.5 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 63.4% more likely to have access to electricity
In Nigeria, approximately 61% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 33% 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 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Nigeria, approximately 41.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iran, about 85.3% do as of 2024.
be 19.0% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Nigeria, approximately 82% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 67% 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 8.8 times more on education
Nigeria spends 0.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Iran spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 43.9% more on healthcare
Nigeria spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iran, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.9 times more coastline
Nigeria has a total of 853 km of coastline. In Iran, that number is 2,440 km.
Safety
be 19.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Nigeria, road accidents kill 17.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iran, they kill 20.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 150.8 times more home broadband
Nigeria has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iran has 12.1 as of 2024.
use 26.5 times more electricity
Nigeria uses 144 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iran uses 3,815 kWh as of 2023.
live with 8.4 times more strain on fresh water
Nigeria withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iran withdraws 81% as of 2022.
Environment
be 33.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nigeria, air pollution causes 77.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iran, it causes 51.0 as of 2019.
emit 15.9 times more CO2
Nigeria emits 0.6 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: Nigeria vs. Iran
Iran: At a glance
How big is Iran compared to Nigeria? See an in-depth size comparison.