Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iran instead of Norway, you would:
Health
be 69.1% less likely to die by suicide
Norway has a suicide rate of 13.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iran, it is 4.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.3 years less
In Norway, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.
be 21.6% more likely to be obese
In Norway, 20.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 24.6% of people as of 2024.
see 88.8% less spent on your healthcare
Norway spends $9,523 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iran spends $1,064 as of 2023.
have 63.6% fewer doctors per person
Norway has 49.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iran has 18.1 as of 2023.
have 14.9% less access to essential health services
Norway scores 87 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iran scores 74 as of 2021.
Economy
be 78.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Norway, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iran, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
make 95.9% less money
Norway has a GDP per capita of $94,594 as of 2025, while in Iran, the GDP per capita is $3,924 as of 2025.
Life
have 29.6% more children
In Norway, there are approximately 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iran, there are 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 16.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Norway, approximately 1.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iran, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 5.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Norway, approximately 2.0 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.
Basic Needs
be 13.8% less likely to have internet access
In Norway, approximately 99.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iran, about 85.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 48.1% less on education
Norway spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Iran spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 36.1% less on healthcare
Norway spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iran, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 90.3% less coastline
Norway has a total of 25,148 km of coastline. In Iran, that number is 2,440 km.
Safety
be 13.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Norway, road accidents kill 1.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iran, they kill 20.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 73.3% less home broadband
Norway has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iran has 12.1 as of 2024.
live with 39.8 times more strain on fresh water
Norway withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iran withdraws 81% as of 2022.
use 83.9% less electricity
Norway uses 23,673 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iran uses 3,815 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 6.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Norway, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iran, it causes 51.0 as of 2019.
emit 26.0% more CO2
Norway emits 7.2 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: Norway vs. Iran
Iran: At a glance
How big is Iran compared to Norway? See an in-depth size comparison.