Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
France is 39% bigger than Iraq
France: 606,410 km² (2024) · Iraq: 435,050 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
France’s coastline is 84 times as long as Iraq’s
France: 4,853 km (2026 edition) · Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
France’s highest peak towers 1,199 m above Iraq’s
France: 4,810 m (2026 edition) · Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 53% of France, versus 22% of Iraq
France: 52.8% (2024) · Iraq: 21.6% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
France has 46% more people than Iraq
France: 68.7 million (2025) · Iraq: 47 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
France is 18% more densely populated than Iraq
France: 128 per km² (2025) · Iraq: 108 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in France are 4.8 cm taller than in Iraq
France: 178.6 cm (2019) · Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in France are 5.7 cm taller than in Iraq
France: 164.5 cm (2019) · Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in France is 21 years older than in Iraq
France: 41.8 years (2023) · Iraq: 20.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iraq have 1.6 more children on average than in France
France: 1.61 children per woman (2024) · Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
23% of people in France are 65 or older, versus 3.4% in Iraq
France: 22.5% (2025) · Iraq: 3.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
France hosts 67% more refugees per resident than Iraq
France: 11.5 per 1,000 (2025) · Iraq: 6.9 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
France has produced 9.5 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iraq 0.2
France: 9.5 (2026) · Iraq: 0.2 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iraq has 3 official languages, France 1
France: 1 (2026) · Iraq: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
France’s economy is 13 times the size of Iraq’s
France: $3.37 trillion (2025) · Iraq: $254 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
France produces 4.5 times as much per person as Iraq
France: Int$63,975 (2025) · Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in France than in Iraq (Gini 2 points higher)
France: 31.8 (2023) · Iraq: 29.8 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Iraq and France are practically level
France: 0.1% (2023) · Iraq: 0.5% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 7.5% in France
France: 7.5% (2025) · Iraq: 15.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iraq and France are practically level
France: 2% (2025) · Iraq: 2.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
France’s central government collects 23% of GDP in tax, Iraq’s 1.3%
France: 22.8% (2024) · Iraq: 1.3% (2019)
How expensive is it?
France’s price level (US = 100) is 2× Iraq’s
France: 77% (2025) · Iraq: 38% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
France spends 16 times as much on health per person as Iraq
France: $5,327 (2024) · Iraq: $333 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in France live 11 years longer than in Iraq
France: 83 years (2024) · Iraq: 72.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iraq is 5.9 times as likely to die before turning one as in France
France: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
France has 3.2 times as many doctors per person as Iraq
France: 3.3 per 1,000 (2022) · Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
France has 5.3 times as many hospital beds per person as Iraq
France: 5.7 per 1,000 (2022) · Iraq: 1.1 per 1,000 (2018)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in France is 2.7 times that in Iraq
France: 13.9 per 100k (2023) · Iraq: 5.1 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Iraq are obese, versus 13% in France
France: 12.5% (2024) · Iraq: 36.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
34% of adults in France smoke, versus 20% in Iraq
France: 33.6% (2024) · Iraq: 20.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in France rate their lives 1.37 points higher than in Iraq
France: 6.59 (2025) · Iraq: 5.21 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in France drink 18 times as much alcohol as in Iraq
France: 11.2 litres (2023) · Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
France has 3.8 times as much meat per person as Iraq
France: 80.3 kg (2023) · Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
France has 1,119 kcal more food per person per day than Iraq
France: 3,490 kcal (2023) · Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iraq put in 96 more hours a year than in France
France: 1,487 hours (2023) · Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in France went to school 5 years longer than in Iraq
France: 11.8 years (2023) · Iraq: 6.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
France: 1.35 (2019) · Iraq: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
France has 50 more World Heritage sites than Iraq (56 against 6)
France: 56 (2026) · Iraq: 6 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
France has won 985 Olympic medals, Iraq 1
France: 985 (2026 edition) · Iraq: 1 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
89% of people in France are online, versus 81% in Iraq
France: 89% (2024) · Iraq: 81% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in France is 7.4 times as fast as in Iraq
France: 460 Mbps (2026) · Iraq: 62 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
France and Iraq are practically level
France: 100% (2024) · Iraq: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in France live in cities, versus 70% in Iraq
France: 79% (2025) · Iraq: 70% (2025)
How many phones per person?
France has 117 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Iraq 100
France: 117 (2023) · Iraq: 100 (2024)
How much railway is there?
France’s railway network is 12 times as long as Iraq’s
France: 27,716 km (2021) · Iraq: 2,370 km (2014)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from France fly 12 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iraq
France: 0.94 (2023) · Iraq: 0.08 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of France, but only 1.6% of Iraq
France: 32.9% (2024) · Iraq: 1.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iraq emits 28% more CO₂ than someone in France
France: 4 t (2024) · Iraq: 5.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
26% of France’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq
France: 26.1% (2025) · Iraq: 1.6% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iraq carries 5.5 times as much fine dust as in France
France: 8.9 µg/m³ (2024) · Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
France: 1.3 per 100k (2024) · Iraq: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iraq are 4.1 times as deadly as in France
France: 7.6 per 100k (2023) · Iraq: 31.5 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iraq is on average 9.8 °C warmer than France
France: 14.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
France gets 5.4 times as much rain as Iraq
France: 1,158 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 France bigger than Iraq?
France is larger. France is 39% bigger than Iraq.
Which has more people, France or Iraq?
France has 46% more people than Iraq (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, France or Iraq?
People in France live 11 years longer than in Iraq. Life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years in France and 72.4 in Iraq.
Are people taller in France or Iraq?
Men in France are 4.8 cm taller than in Iraq (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
