Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iraq instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
Health
live 10.6 years less
In United Arab Emirates, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 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 25.6% more likely to be obese
In United Arab Emirates, 31.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 39.7% of people as of 2024.
see 77.4% less spent on your healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iraq spends $843 as of 2023.
have 65.8% fewer doctors per person
United Arab Emirates has 29.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Iraq has 10.2 as of 2022.
have 28.0% less access to essential health services
United Arab Emirates scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iraq scores 59 as of 2021.
be 73.7% more likely to die by suicide
United Arab Emirates has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 7.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In United Arab Emirates, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iraq, that number is 15.5% as of 2025.
make 89.2% less money
United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274 as of 2024, while in Iraq, the GDP per capita is $5,410 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.6 times more children
In United Arab Emirates, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iraq, there are 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 22.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Iraq, 66.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.9% less likely to be literate
In United Arab Emirates, the literacy rate is 98.8% as of 2024. In Iraq, it is 84.1% as of 2021.
be 5.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.8 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 18.5% less likely to have internet access
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iraq, about 81.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.3% more on healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iraq, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 95.6% less coastline
United Arab Emirates has a total of 1,318 km of coastline. In Iraq, that number is 58 km.
Safety
be 3.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In United Arab Emirates, road accidents kill 5.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iraq, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 96.1% less strain on fresh water
United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iraq withdraws 60% as of 2022.
find 56.8% less home broadband
United Arab Emirates has 40.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iraq has 17.6 as of 2024.
use 91.0% less electricity
United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iraq uses 1,377 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 71.6% less CO2
United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 24.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In United Arab Emirates, air pollution causes 70.0 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: United Arab Emirates vs. Iraq
Iraq: At a glance
How big is Iraq compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.