Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iraq instead of Portugal, you would:
Health
be 74.2% less likely to die by suicide
Portugal 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 10.0 years less
In Portugal, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 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 2.2 times more likely to be obese
In Portugal, 18.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 39.7% of people as of 2024.
see 82.9% less spent on your healthcare
Portugal spends $4,928 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iraq spends $843 as of 2023.
have 82.5% fewer doctors per person
Portugal has 58.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iraq has 10.2 as of 2022.
have 33.0% less access to essential health services
Portugal scores 88 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iraq scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Portugal, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iraq, that number is 15.5% as of 2025.
make 83.1% less money
Portugal has a GDP per capita of $32,082 as of 2025, while in Iraq, the GDP per capita is $5,410 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.2 times more children
In Portugal, there are approximately 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iraq, there are 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Portugal, approximately 15.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iraq, 66.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.3% less likely to be literate
In Portugal, the literacy rate is 95.9% as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 84.1% as of 2021.
be 7.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Portugal, approximately 2.7 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.
Expenditures
spend 46.0% less on healthcare
Portugal spends 10.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 96.8% less coastline
Portugal has a total of 1,793 km of coastline. In Iraq, that number is 58 km.
Safety
be 3.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Portugal, road accidents kill 7.2 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
Portugal has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iraq has 17.6 as of 2024.
live with 4.8 times more strain on fresh water
Portugal withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iraq withdraws 60% as of 2022.
use 74.0% less electricity
Portugal uses 5,294 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iraq uses 1,377 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 8.7 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Portugal, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iraq, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
emit 56.0% more CO2
Portugal emits 3.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Portugal vs. Iraq
Iraq: At a glance
How big is Iraq compared to Portugal? See an in-depth size comparison.