Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Iraq fits inside China 22 times
China: 9,562,910 km² (2024) · Iraq: 435,050 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
China’s coastline is 250 times as long as Iraq’s
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 5,238 m above Iraq’s
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 42% of China, versus 22% of Iraq
China: 41.7% (2024) · Iraq: 21.6% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 30 times as many people as Iraq
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · Iraq: 47 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
China is 38% more densely populated than Iraq
China: 150 per km² (2025) · Iraq: 108 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in China are 1.9 cm taller than in Iraq
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in China are 4.7 cm taller than in Iraq
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in China is 19 years older than in Iraq
China: 39.1 years (2023) · Iraq: 20.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iraq have 2.2 more children on average than in China
China: 1.01 children per woman (2024) · Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
15% of people in China are 65 or older, versus 3.4% in Iraq
China: 14.9% (2025) · Iraq: 3.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iraq hosts 41,925 times as many refugees per resident as China
China: 0.00016 per 1,000 (2025) · Iraq: 6.9 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Iraq has produced 0.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, China 0.1
China: 0.1 (2026) · Iraq: 0.2 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iraq has 3 official languages, China 1
China: 1 (2026) · Iraq: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 77 times the size of Iraq’s
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · Iraq: $254 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
China produces 2.1 times as much per person as Iraq
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in China than in Iraq (Gini 6.2 points higher)
China: 36 (2022) · Iraq: 29.8 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
0.5% of people in Iraq live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in China
China: 0% (2022) · Iraq: 0.5% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 4.6% in China
China: 4.6% (2025) · Iraq: 15.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iraq spends 2.4% of its GDP on the military, China 1.7%
China: 1.7% (2025) · Iraq: 2.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
China’s central government collects 7.0% of GDP in tax, Iraq’s 1.3%
China: 7% (2024) · Iraq: 1.3% (2019)
How expensive is it?
China’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Iraq’s
China: 47% (2025) · Iraq: 38% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
China spends 2.3 times as much on health per person as Iraq
China: $763 (2023) · Iraq: $333 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in China live 5.6 years longer than in Iraq
China: 78 years (2024) · Iraq: 72.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iraq is 4.9 times as likely to die before turning one as in China
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
China has 3 times as many doctors per person as Iraq
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
China has 5.3 times as many hospital beds per person as Iraq
China: 5.6 per 1,000 (2023) · Iraq: 1.1 per 1,000 (2018)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in China is 57% higher than in Iraq
China: 8 per 100k (2023) · Iraq: 5.1 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Iraq are obese, versus 9.1% in China
China: 9.1% (2024) · Iraq: 36.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in China smoke, versus 20% in Iraq
China: 22.8% (2024) · Iraq: 20.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in China rate their lives 0.86 points higher than in Iraq
China: 6.07 (2025) · Iraq: 5.21 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in China drink 6 times as much alcohol as in Iraq
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
China has 3.5 times as much meat per person as Iraq
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 1,156 kcal more food per person per day than Iraq
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 745 more hours a year than in Iraq
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in China went to school 1.3 years longer than in Iraq
China: 8 years (2023) · Iraq: 6.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
China: 0.05 (2019) · Iraq: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
China has 55 more World Heritage sites than Iraq (61 against 6)
China: 61 (2026) · Iraq: 6 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
China has won 819 Olympic medals, Iraq 1
China: 819 (2026 edition) · Iraq: 1 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
92% of people in China are online, versus 81% in Iraq
China: 92% (2025) · Iraq: 81% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in China is 5.9 times as fast as in Iraq
China: 364 Mbps (2026) · Iraq: 62 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
China and Iraq are practically level
China: 100% (2024) · Iraq: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
70% of people in Iraq live in cities, versus 66% in China
China: 66% (2025) · Iraq: 70% (2025)
How many phones per person?
China has 132 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Iraq 100
China: 132 (2024) · Iraq: 100 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 46 times as long as Iraq’s
China: 109,767 km (2021) · Iraq: 2,370 km (2014)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from China fly 5.5 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iraq
China: 0.44 (2023) · Iraq: 0.08 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 24% of China, but only 1.6% of Iraq
China: 24% (2024) · Iraq: 1.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 71% more CO₂ than someone in Iraq
China: 8.7 t (2024) · Iraq: 5.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
37% of China’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq
China: 37% (2025) · Iraq: 1.6% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iraq carries 56% more fine dust than in China
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · Iraq: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iraq are 28% deadlier than in China
China: 24.7 per 100k (2023) · Iraq: 31.5 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iraq is on average 16.1 °C warmer than China
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
China gets 3.8 times as much rain as Iraq
China: 813 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 China bigger than Iraq?
China is larger. Iraq fits inside China 22 times.
Which has more people, China or Iraq?
China has 30 times as many people as Iraq (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or Iraq?
People in China live 5.6 years longer than in Iraq. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 72.4 in Iraq.
Are people taller in China or Iraq?
Men in China are 1.9 cm taller than in Iraq (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
