Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Iraq fits inside Australia 18 times
Australia: 7,741,220 km² (2024) · Iraq: 435,050 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Australia’s coastline is 444 times as long as Iraq’s
Australia: 25,760 km (2026 edition) · Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iraq’s highest peak towers 1,383 m above Australia’s
Australia: 2,228 m (2026 edition) · Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 47% of Australia, versus 22% of Iraq
Australia: 47.3% (2024) · Iraq: 21.6% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iraq has 70% more people than Australia
Australia: 27.6 million (2025) · Iraq: 47 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iraq is 30 times as densely populated as Australia
Australia: 4 per km² (2025) · Iraq: 108 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Australia are 5.0 cm taller than in Iraq
Australia: 178.8 cm (2019) · Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Australia are 5.9 cm taller than in Iraq
Australia: 164.7 cm (2019) · Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Australia is 17 years older than in Iraq
Australia: 37.8 years (2023) · Iraq: 20.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iraq have 1.7 more children on average than in Australia
Australia: 1.48 children per woman (2024) · Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in Australia are 65 or older, versus 3.4% in Iraq
Australia: 18.1% (2025) · Iraq: 3.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iraq hosts 5.7 times as many refugees per resident as Australia
Australia: 1.2 per 1,000 (2025) · Iraq: 6.9 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Australia has produced 3.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iraq 0.2
Australia: 3.6 (2026) · Iraq: 0.2 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iraq has 3 official languages, Australia 1
Australia: 1 (2026) · Iraq: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Australia’s economy is 7.1 times the size of Iraq’s
Australia: $1.8 trillion (2025) · Iraq: $254 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Australia produces 5 times as much per person as Iraq
Australia: Int$71,934 (2025) · Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Australia than in Iraq (Gini 4 points higher)
Australia: 33.8 (2020) · Iraq: 29.8 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Australia and Iraq are practically level
Australia: 0.9% (2020) · Iraq: 0.5% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 4.1% in Australia
Australia: 4.1% (2025) · Iraq: 15.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iraq spends 2.4% of its GDP on the military, Australia 1.9%
Australia: 1.9% (2025) · Iraq: 2.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Australia’s central government collects 24% of GDP in tax, Iraq’s 1.3%
Australia: 23.6% (2022) · Iraq: 1.3% (2019)
How expensive is it?
Australia’s price level (US = 100) is 2.4× Iraq’s
Australia: 91% (2025) · Iraq: 38% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Australia spends 21 times as much on health per person as Iraq
Australia: $6,980 (2023) · Iraq: $333 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Australia live 11 years longer than in Iraq
Australia: 83.1 years (2024) · Iraq: 72.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iraq is 6.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in Australia
Australia: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Australia has 4 times as many doctors per person as Iraq
Australia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Australia has 3.6 times as many hospital beds per person as Iraq
Australia: 3.8 per 1,000 (2016) · Iraq: 1.1 per 1,000 (2018)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Australia is 2.5 times that in Iraq
Australia: 12.6 per 100k (2023) · Iraq: 5.1 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Iraq are obese, versus 32% in Australia
Australia: 32.4% (2024) · Iraq: 36.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Iraq smoke, versus 12% in Australia
Australia: 11.6% (2024) · Iraq: 20.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Australia rate their lives 1.70 points higher than in Iraq
Australia: 6.92 (2025) · Iraq: 5.21 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Australia drink 17 times as much alcohol as in Iraq
Australia: 10.5 litres (2023) · Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Australia has 5.5 times as much meat per person as Iraq
Australia: 116.8 kg (2023) · Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Australia has 1,191 kcal more food per person per day than Iraq
Australia: 3,562 kcal (2023) · Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Australia put in 28 more hours a year than in Iraq
Australia: 1,611 hours (2023) · Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Australia went to school 6.1 years longer than in Iraq
Australia: 12.9 years (2023) · Iraq: 6.8 years (2023)
How many World Heritage sites?
Australia has 15 more World Heritage sites than Iraq (21 against 6)
Australia: 21 (2026) · Iraq: 6 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Australia has won 619 Olympic medals, Iraq 1
Australia: 619 (2026 edition) · Iraq: 1 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Australia are online, versus 81% in Iraq
Australia: 96% (2024) · Iraq: 81% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Australia is 4.2 times as fast as in Iraq
Australia: 261 Mbps (2026) · Iraq: 62 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Australia and Iraq are practically level
Australia: 100% (2024) · Iraq: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
88% of people in Australia live in cities, versus 70% in Iraq
Australia: 88% (2025) · Iraq: 70% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Australia has 113 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Iraq 100
Australia: 113 (2024) · Iraq: 100 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Australia’s railway network is 14 times as long as Iraq’s
Australia: 32,606 km (2022) · Iraq: 2,370 km (2014)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Australia fly 31 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iraq
Australia: 2.5 (2023) · Iraq: 0.08 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 17% of Australia, but only 1.6% of Iraq
Australia: 17.4% (2024) · Iraq: 1.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Australia emits 2.9 times as much CO₂ as someone in Iraq
Australia: 14.5 t (2024) · Iraq: 5.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
39% of Australia’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq
Australia: 38.6% (2025) · Iraq: 1.6% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iraq carries 9 times as much fine dust as in Australia
Australia: 5.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Australia: 0.9 per 100k (2023) · Iraq: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iraq are 4.2 times as deadly as in Australia
Australia: 7.5 per 100k (2023) · Iraq: 31.5 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iraq is on average 1.4 °C warmer than Australia
Australia: 22.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Australia gets 2.1 times as much rain as Iraq
Australia: 447 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Iraq: 214 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Australia bigger than Iraq?
Australia is larger. Iraq fits inside Australia 18 times.
Which has more people, Australia or Iraq?
Iraq has 70% more people than Australia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Australia or Iraq?
People in Australia live 11 years longer than in Iraq. Life expectancy at birth is 83.1 years in Australia and 72.4 in Iraq.
Are people taller in Australia or Iraq?
Men in Australia are 5.0 cm taller than in Iraq (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
