Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iraq instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 99.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In South Africa, 17.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 6.1 years longer
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
have 28.7% more doctors per person
South Africa has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iraq has 10.2 as of 2022.
be 86.7% less likely to die by suicide
South Africa has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 24.9% more likely to be obese
In South Africa, 31.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 39.7% of people as of 2024.
see 37.7% less spent on your healthcare
South Africa spends $1,354 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iraq spends $843 as of 2023.
have 16.9% less access to essential health services
South Africa scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iraq scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 52.2% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iraq, that number is 15.5% as of 2025.
be 53.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In South Africa, 37.9% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Iraq, however, that number is 17.5% as of 2023.
make 18.0% less money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Iraq, the GDP per capita is $5,410 as of 2025.
Life
be 44.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 118.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iraq, 66.0 women do as of 2023.
be 16.9% less likely to die during infancy
In South Africa, approximately 24.2 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.
have 38.4% more children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iraq, there are 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 14.0% more likely to have access to electricity
In South Africa, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (91% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Iraq, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 37.9% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iraq, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 97.9% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Iraq, that number is 58 km.
Safety
be 12.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In South Africa, road accidents kill 24.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iraq, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.3 times more home broadband
South Africa has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iraq has 17.6 as of 2024.
live with 11.9% less strain on fresh water
South Africa withdraws 68% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iraq withdraws 60% as of 2022.
use 57.6% less electricity
South Africa uses 3,247 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iraq uses 1,377 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 24.7% less CO2
South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 85.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In South Africa, air pollution causes 47.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iraq, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: South Africa vs. Iraq
Iraq: At a glance
How big is Iraq compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.