Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iraq instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 17.5 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 56 years (53 years for men, 58 years for women) as of 2022. In Iraq, that number is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2022.
be 3.7 times more likely to be obese
In Somalia, 8.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Iraq, that number is 30.4% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 6.6 times more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $1,400 as of 2022, while in Iraq, the GDP per capita is $9,200 as of 2022.
be 20.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 19.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Iraq, that number is 15.3% as of 2022.
be 57.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Somalia, 54.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Iraq, however, that number is 23.0% as of 2014.
Life
be 87.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Somalia, approximately 621.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Iraq, 76.0 women do as of 2020.
be 77.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Somalia, approximately 86.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Iraq, on the other hand, 19.6 children do as of 2022.
have 36.6% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 37.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iraq, there are 23.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.0 times more likely to have access to electricity
In Somalia, approximately 49% of the population has electricity access as of 2021. In Iraq, 100% of the population do as of 2021.
be 3.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 14.5% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Iraq, about 49.0% do as of 2021.
be 17.9% more likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Somalia, approximately 84% of people have improved drinking water access (96% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Iraq, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 15.7 times more on education
Somalia spends 0.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Iraq spends 4.7% of total GDP on education as of 2016.
Geography
see 98.1% less coastline
Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In Iraq, that number is 58 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
Iraq: At a glance
How big is Iraq compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.