If you lived in Romania instead of Saudi Arabia, you would:

Health

be 19.2% less likely to be obese

In Saudi Arabia, 40.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 32.4% of people as of 2024.

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live 2.5 years less

In Saudi Arabia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 24.8% less spent on your healthcare

Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Romania spends $2,614 as of 2023.

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be 10.1 times more likely to die by suicide

Saudi Arabia has a suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Romania, it is 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 97.0% more likely to be unemployed

In Saudi Arabia, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Romania, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.

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make 34.7% less money

Saudi Arabia has a GDP per capita of $34,537 as of 2025, while in Romania, the GDP per capita is $22,538 as of 2025.

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Life

be 71.4% more likely to die during childbirth

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Romania, 12.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 27.7% more likely to die during infancy

In Saudi Arabia, approximately 4.7 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Romania, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2024.

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have 54.5% fewer children

In Saudi Arabia, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Romania, there are 7.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 26.8% less on education

Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Romania spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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Geography

see 91.5% less coastline

Saudi Arabia has a total of 2,640 km of coastline. In Romania, that number is 225 km.

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Safety

be 48.1% less likely to die in a road accident

In Saudi Arabia, road accidents kill 18.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Romania, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 99.2% less strain on fresh water

Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Romania withdraws 8% as of 2022.

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find 18.8% less home broadband

Saudi Arabia has 44.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Romania has 35.8 as of 2024.

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use 78.3% less electricity

Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Romania uses 2,585 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 49.5% less likely to die from air pollution

In Saudi Arabia, air pollution causes 91.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Romania, it causes 46.0 as of 2019.

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emit 79.9% less CO2

Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Romania emits 3.7 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Romania: At a glance

Romania is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 229,891 sq km. The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for centuries under the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire - secured their autonomy in 1856; they were de facto linked in 1859 and formally united in 1862 under the new name of Romania. The country gained recognition of its independence in 1878. It joined the Allied Powers in World War I and acquired new territories - most notably Transylvania - following the conflict. In 1940, Romania allied with the Axis powers and participated in the 1941 German invasion of the USSR. Three years later, overrun by the Soviets, Romania signed an armistice. The post-war Soviet occupation led to the formation of a communist "people's republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU, who took power in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. CEAUSESCU was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Former communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power. Romania joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.
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