Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Belize instead of Iraq, you would:

Health

live 2.6 years longer

In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2022. In Belize, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022.

be 20.7% less likely to be obese

In Iraq, 30.4% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Belize, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 46.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Iraq, 15.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Belize, that number is 8.3% as of 2023.

be 78.3% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iraq, 23.0% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Belize, however, that number is 41.0% as of 2013.

Life

be 43.2% less likely to die during infancy

In Iraq, approximately 19.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Belize, on the other hand, 11.2 children do as of 2022.

be 71.1% more likely to die during childbirth

In Iraq, approximately 76.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Belize, 130.0 women do as of 2020.

have 25.3% fewer children

In Iraq, there are approximately 23.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Belize, there are 17.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 26.5% more likely to have internet access

In Iraq, approximately 49.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Belize, about 62.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 85.1% more on education

Iraq spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2016. Belize spends 8.7% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

spend 35.3% more on healthcare

Iraq spends 5.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Belize, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 6.7 times more coastline

Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In Belize, that number is 386 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Belize: At a glance

Belize is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 22,806 sq km. Belize was the site of several Mayan city states until their decline at the end of the first millennium A.D. The British and Spanish disputed the region in the 17th and 18th centuries; it formally became the colony of British Honduras in 1854. Territorial disputes between the UK and Guatemala delayed the independence of Belize until 1981. Guatemala refused to recognize the new nation until 1992 and the two countries are involved in an ongoing border dispute. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy. Current concerns include the country's heavy foreign debt burden, high unemployment, growing involvement in the Mexican and South American drug trade, high crime rates, and one of the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in Central America.
Read more

How big is Belize compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Belize.or Iraq It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.