Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iraq instead of Sri Lanka, you would:
Health
see 66.2% more spent on your healthcare
Sri Lanka spends $507 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iraq spends $843 as of 2023.
be 79.9% less likely to die by suicide
Sri Lanka has a suicide rate of 14.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.2 years less
In Sri Lanka, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 3.5 times more likely to be obese
In Sri Lanka, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 39.7% of people as of 2024.
have 10.0% fewer doctors per person
Sri Lanka has 11.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iraq has 10.2 as of 2022.
have 11.9% less access to essential health services
Sri Lanka scores 67 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iraq scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Sri Lanka, 4.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iraq, that number is 15.5% as of 2025.
Life
have 2.5 times more children
In Sri Lanka, there are approximately 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iraq, there are 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sri Lanka, approximately 18.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iraq, 66.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Sri Lanka, approximately 5.2 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.
Basic Needs
be 49.2% more likely to have internet access
In Sri Lanka, approximately 54.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iraq, about 81.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 50.3% more on healthcare
Sri Lanka spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iraq, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 95.7% less coastline
Sri Lanka has a total of 1,340 km of coastline. In Iraq, that number is 58 km.
Safety
be 87.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Sri Lanka, road accidents kill 11.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iraq, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.1 times more home broadband
Sri Lanka has 8.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iraq has 17.6 as of 2024.
live with 34.4% less strain on fresh water
Sri Lanka withdraws 91% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iraq withdraws 60% as of 2022.
use 2.1 times more electricity
Sri Lanka uses 644 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iraq uses 1,377 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 2.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Sri Lanka, air pollution causes 37.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iraq, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.9 times more CO2
Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iraq emits 5.2 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: Sri Lanka vs. Iraq
Iraq: At a glance
How big is Iraq compared to Sri Lanka? See an in-depth size comparison.