Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iran instead of Serbia, you would:
Health
live 1.9 years longer
In Serbia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 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 73.1% less likely to die by suicide
Serbia has a suicide rate of 15.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iran, it is 4.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 12.5% more likely to be obese
In Serbia, 21.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 24.6% of people as of 2024.
see 53.8% less spent on your healthcare
Serbia spends $2,303 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iran spends $1,064 as of 2023.
have 41.6% fewer doctors per person
Serbia has 31.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iran has 18.1 as of 2023.
Economy
be 16.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Serbia, 7.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iran, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
make 74.3% less money
Serbia has a GDP per capita of $15,262 as of 2025, while in Iran, the GDP per capita is $3,924 as of 2025.
Life
have 36.6% more children
In Serbia, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iran, there are 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 45.5% more likely to die during childbirth
In Serbia, approximately 11.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iran, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 10.5% less likely to be literate
In Serbia, the literacy rate is 99.3% as of 2022. In Iran, it is 88.9% as of 2023.
be 2.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Serbia, approximately 4.6 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 17.1% less on education
Serbia spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Iran spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 24.9% less on healthcare
Serbia spends 8.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iran, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Serbia, road accidents kill 7.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iran, they kill 20.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 63.9% less home broadband
Serbia has 33.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iran has 12.1 as of 2024.
live with 14.2 times more strain on fresh water
Serbia withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iran withdraws 81% as of 2022.
use 25.1% less electricity
Serbia uses 5,090 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iran uses 3,815 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 13.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Serbia, air pollution causes 45.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iran, it causes 51.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Serbia vs. Iran
Iran: At a glance
How big is Iran compared to Serbia? See an in-depth size comparison.