Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iran instead of Russia, you would:
Health
be 91.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Russia, 1.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2017. In Iran, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2020.
live 4.4 years longer
In Russia, the average life expectancy is 73 years (68 years for men, 79 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 81.0% less likely to die by suicide
Russia has a suicide rate of 21.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iran, it is 4.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 39.5% more likely to be obese
In Russia, 17.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 24.6% of people as of 2024.
see 66.8% less spent on your healthcare
Russia spends $3,204 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iran spends $1,064 as of 2023.
have 64.6% fewer doctors per person
Russia has 51.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iran has 18.1 as of 2023.
Economy
be 3.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Russia, 2.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iran, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
make 77.6% less money
Russia has a GDP per capita of $17,547 as of 2025, while in Iran, the GDP per capita is $3,924 as of 2025.
Life
have 49.6% more children
In Russia, there are approximately 8.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iran, there are 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 77.8% more likely to die during childbirth
In Russia, approximately 9.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iran, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 11.0% less likely to be literate
In Russia, the literacy rate is 99.9% as of 2021. In Iran, it is 88.9% as of 2023.
be 2.5 times more likely to die during infancy
In Russia, approximately 4.1 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.
Expenditures
spend 32.2% less on education
Russia spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Iran spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 14.3% less on healthcare
Russia spends 7.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iran, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 93.5% less coastline
Russia has a total of 37,653 km of coastline. In Iran, that number is 2,440 km.
Safety
be 94.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Russia, road accidents kill 10.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iran, they kill 20.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 55.5% less home broadband
Russia has 27.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iran has 12.1 as of 2024.
live with 19.7 times more strain on fresh water
Russia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iran withdraws 81% as of 2022.
use 47.6% less electricity
Russia uses 7,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iran uses 3,815 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 35.3% less CO2
Russia emits 14.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iran emits 9.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 30.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Russia, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iran, it causes 51.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2017–2020), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Russia vs. Iran
Iran: At a glance
How big is Iran compared to Russia? See an in-depth size comparison.