Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iran instead of Spain, you would:
Health
be 53.3% less likely to die by suicide
Spain has a suicide rate of 8.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iran, it is 4.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.0 years less
In Spain, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 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 60.4% more likely to be obese
In Spain, 15.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iran, that number is 24.6% of people as of 2024.
see 78.4% less spent on your healthcare
Spain spends $4,935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iran spends $1,064 as of 2023.
have 57.8% fewer doctors per person
Spain has 42.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iran has 18.1 as of 2023.
have 12.9% less access to essential health services
Spain scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iran scores 74 as of 2021.
Economy
be 20.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Spain, 10.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iran, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
make 89.8% less money
Spain has a GDP per capita of $38,627 as of 2025, while in Iran, the GDP per capita is $3,924 as of 2025.
Life
have 93.4% more children
In Spain, there are approximately 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iran, there are 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Spain, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iran, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
be 10.8% less likely to be literate
In Spain, the literacy rate is 99.7% as of 2021. In Iran, it is 88.9% as of 2023.
be 4.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Spain, approximately 2.6 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.
Basic Needs
be 10.9% less likely to have internet access
In Spain, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iran, about 85.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 38.6% less on education
Spain spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Iran spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 34.6% less on healthcare
Spain spends 9.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iran, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 50.8% less coastline
Spain has a total of 4,964 km of coastline. In Iran, that number is 2,440 km.
Safety
be 5.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Spain, road accidents kill 3.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iran, they kill 20.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 69.3% less home broadband
Spain has 39.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iran has 12.1 as of 2024.
live with 88.0% more strain on fresh water
Spain withdraws 43% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iran withdraws 81% as of 2022.
use 26.6% less electricity
Spain uses 5,196 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Iran uses 3,815 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 5.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Spain, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iran, it causes 51.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.0 times more CO2
Spain emits 4.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iran emits 9.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Spain vs. Iran
Iran: At a glance
How big is Iran compared to Spain? See an in-depth size comparison.