Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Iraq fits inside Ethiopia 2.6 times
Ethiopia: 1,129,820 km² (2024) · Iraq: 435,050 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Ethiopia: 0 km (2026 edition) · Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Ethiopia’s highest peak towers 939 m above Iraq’s
Ethiopia: 4,550 m (2026 edition) · Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 34% of Ethiopia, versus 22% of Iraq
Ethiopia: 34.3% (2024) · Iraq: 21.6% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Ethiopia has 2.9 times as many people as Iraq
Ethiopia: 135 million (2025) · Iraq: 47 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ethiopia is 11% more densely populated than Iraq
Ethiopia: 121 per km² (2025) · Iraq: 108 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iraq are 4.9 cm taller than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 168.8 cm (2019) · Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Iraq are 1.6 cm taller than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 157.2 cm (2019) · Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iraq is 1.6 years older than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 18.7 years (2023) · Iraq: 20.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ethiopia have 0.7 more children on average than in Iraq
Ethiopia: 3.91 children per woman (2024) · Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Iraq and Ethiopia are practically level
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · Iraq: 3.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Ethiopia hosts 9% more refugees per resident than Iraq
Ethiopia: 7.5 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, Ethiopia 0.1
Ethiopia: 0.1 (2026) · Iraq: 0.2 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iraq has 3 official languages, Ethiopia 1
Ethiopia: 1 (2026) · Iraq: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Iraq’s economy is 2 times the size of Ethiopia’s
Ethiopia: $126 billion (2025) · Iraq: $254 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Iraq produces 3.9 times as much per person as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Int$3,622 (2025) · Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ethiopia than in Iraq (Gini 1.3 points higher)
Ethiopia: 31.1 (2021) · Iraq: 29.8 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
39% of people in Ethiopia live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.5% in Iraq
Ethiopia: 38.6% (2021) · Iraq: 0.5% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 3.3% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025) · Iraq: 15.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iraq spends 2.4% of its GDP on the military, Ethiopia 0.5%
Ethiopia: 0.5% (2025) · Iraq: 2.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Ethiopia’s central government collects 3.4% of GDP in tax, Iraq’s 1.3%
Ethiopia: 3.4% (2024) · Iraq: 1.3% (2019)
How expensive is it?
Iraq’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Ethiopia’s
Ethiopia: 26% (2025) · Iraq: 38% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Iraq spends 9.6 times as much on health per person as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: $35 (2023) · Iraq: $333 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Iraq live 4.8 years longer than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 67.6 years (2024) · Iraq: 72.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ethiopia is 72% more likely to die before turning one than in Iraq
Ethiopia: 34.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Iraq has 7.1 times as many doctors per person as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023) · Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Iraq has 3.2 times as many hospital beds per person as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 0.3 per 1,000 (2016) · Iraq: 1.1 per 1,000 (2018)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Ethiopia is 2.8 times that in Iraq
Ethiopia: 14.4 per 100k (2023) · Iraq: 5.1 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Iraq are obese, versus 2.5% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 2.5% (2024) · Iraq: 36.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Iraq smoke, versus 5.2% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 5.2% (2024) · Iraq: 20.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Iraq rate their lives 1.23 points higher than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 3.99 (2025) · Iraq: 5.21 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ethiopia drink 3.7 times as much alcohol as in Iraq
Ethiopia: 2.3 litres (2023) · Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Iraq has 3 times as much meat per person as Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 6.9 kg (2023) · Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ethiopia has 188 kcal more food per person per day than Iraq
Ethiopia: 2,558 kcal (2023) · Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Ethiopia put in 16 more hours a year than in Iraq
Ethiopia: 1,599 hours (2023) · Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Iraq went to school 4.4 years longer than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 2.4 years (2023) · Iraq: 6.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ethiopia: 0.0041 (2024) · Iraq: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Ethiopia has 6 more World Heritage sites than Iraq (12 against 6)
Ethiopia: 12 (2026) · Iraq: 6 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Ethiopia has won 62 Olympic medals, Iraq 1
Ethiopia: 62 (2026 edition) · Iraq: 1 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
81% of people in Iraq are online, versus 22% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 22% (2024) · Iraq: 81% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Iraq is 2.9 times as fast as in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 22 Mbps (2026) · Iraq: 62 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Iraq have electricity, versus 57% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 56.6% (2024) · Iraq: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
70% of people in Iraq live in cities, versus 24% in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 24% (2025) · Iraq: 70% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iraq has 100 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ethiopia 65
Ethiopia: 65 (2024) · Iraq: 100 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iraq’s railway network is 3.1 times as long as Ethiopia’s
Ethiopia: 754 km (2018) · Iraq: 2,370 km (2014)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ethiopia fly 41% more passengers per resident than those from Iraq
Ethiopia: 0.11 (2023) · Iraq: 0.08 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 24% of Ethiopia, but only 1.6% of Iraq
Ethiopia: 23.8% (2024) · Iraq: 1.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iraq emits 38 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 0.1 t (2024) · Iraq: 5.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of Ethiopia’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq
Ethiopia: 100% (2025) · Iraq: 1.6% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iraq carries 2.4 times as much fine dust as in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 20.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iraq are 32% deadlier than in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: 23.9 per 100k (2023) · Iraq: 31.5 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Ethiopia and Iraq are practically level
Ethiopia: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ethiopia gets 4.5 times as much rain as Iraq
Ethiopia: 962 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 Ethiopia bigger than Iraq?
Ethiopia is larger. Iraq fits inside Ethiopia 2.6 times.
Which has more people, Ethiopia or Iraq?
Ethiopia has 2.9 times as many people as Iraq (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ethiopia or Iraq?
People in Iraq live 4.8 years longer than in Ethiopia. Life expectancy at birth is 67.6 years in Ethiopia and 72.4 in Iraq.
Are people taller in Ethiopia or Iraq?
Men in Iraq are 4.9 cm taller than in Ethiopia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
