Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iraq instead of Norway, you would:
Health
be 77.5% less likely to die by suicide
Norway has a suicide rate of 13.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 10.7 years less
In Norway, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 85 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 96.6% more likely to be obese
In Norway, 20.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 39.7% of people as of 2024.
see 91.2% less spent on your healthcare
Norway spends $9,523 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iraq spends $843 as of 2023.
have 79.5% fewer doctors per person
Norway has 49.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iraq has 10.2 as of 2022.
have 32.2% less access to essential health services
Norway scores 87 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iraq scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Norway, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iraq, that number is 15.5% as of 2025.
be 43.4% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Norway, 12.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Iraq, however, that number is 17.5% as of 2023.
make 94.3% less money
Norway has a GDP per capita of $94,594 as of 2025, while in Iraq, the GDP per capita is $5,410 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.6 times more children
In Norway, there are approximately 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iraq, there are 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 66.0 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 Iraq, 66.0 women do as of 2023.
be 10.1 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 Iraq, on the other hand, 20.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 17.7% less likely to have internet access
In Norway, approximately 99.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iraq, about 81.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 41.4% less on healthcare
Norway spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iraq, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.8% less coastline
Norway has a total of 25,148 km of coastline. In Iraq, that number is 58 km.
Safety
be 14.3 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Norway, road accidents kill 1.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iraq, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 61.0% less home broadband
Norway has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iraq has 17.6 as of 2024.
live with 29.2 times more strain on fresh water
Norway withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iraq withdraws 60% as of 2022.
use 94.2% less electricity
Norway uses 23,673 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iraq uses 1,377 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 27.9% less CO2
Norway emits 7.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 10.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Norway, air pollution causes 8.0 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: Norway vs. Iraq
Iraq: At a glance
How big is Iraq compared to Norway? See an in-depth size comparison.