Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iran instead of Qatar, you would:
Health
be 41.6% less likely to be obese
In Qatar, 42.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 24.6% of people as of 2024.
be 13.4% less likely to die by suicide
Qatar has a suicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iran, it is 4.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.7 years less
In Qatar, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 83 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 63.3% less spent on your healthcare
Qatar spends $2,901 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iran spends $1,064 as of 2023.
have 40.1% fewer doctors per person
Qatar has 30.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iran has 18.1 as of 2023.
Economy
be 63.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Qatar, 0.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iran, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
make 94.6% less money
Qatar has a GDP per capita of $72,525 as of 2025, while in Iran, the GDP per capita is $3,924 as of 2025.
Life
have 32.0% more children
In Qatar, there are approximately 9.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iran, there are 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Qatar, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iran, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Qatar, approximately 4.8 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.
Basic Needs
be 13.0% less likely to have internet access
In Qatar, approximately 98.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iran, about 85.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 12.7% less on education
Qatar spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Iran spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.4 times more on healthcare
Qatar spends 2.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iran, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.3 times more coastline
Qatar has a total of 563 km of coastline. In Iran, that number is 2,440 km.
Safety
be 2.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Qatar, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iran, they kill 20.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 81.1% less strain on fresh water
Qatar withdraws 431% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iran withdraws 81% as of 2022.
use 80.9% less electricity
Qatar uses 19,963 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iran uses 3,815 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 44.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Qatar, air pollution causes 91.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iran, it causes 51.0 as of 2019.
emit 80.9% less CO2
Qatar emits 47.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iran emits 9.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Qatar vs. Iran
Iran: At a glance
How big is Iran compared to Qatar? See an in-depth size comparison.