Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Iraq fits inside China 22 times.
China: 9,562,910 km² (2023) · Iraq: 435,050 km² (2023)
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)
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 Nobel laureates were born there?
Iraq has produced 0.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, China 0.1.
China: 0.1 (2025) · Iraq: 0.2 (2025)
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 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% (2024) · Iraq: 2.4% (2024)
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 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
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)
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 1.9% of Iraq.
China: 24% (2023) · Iraq: 1.9% (2023)
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 24% deadlier than in China.
China: 17.4 per 100k (2021) · Iraq: 21.5 per 100k (2021)
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)
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).
