Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Iraq fits inside Iran 4 times
Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2024) · Iraq: 435,050 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Iran’s coastline is 42 times as long as Iraq’s
Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition) · Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 2,014 m above Iraq’s
Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition) · Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 29% of Iran, versus 22% of Iraq
Iran: 29% (2024) · Iraq: 21.6% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iran has 2 times as many people as Iraq
Iran: 92.4 million (2025) · Iraq: 47 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iraq is 90% more densely populated than Iran
Iran: 57 per km² (2025) · Iraq: 108 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iran are 1.8 cm taller than in Iraq
Iran: 175.6 cm (2019) · Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Iran are 2.4 cm taller than in Iraq
Iran: 161.2 cm (2019) · Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iran is 13 years older than in Iraq
Iran: 32.9 years (2023) · Iraq: 20.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iraq have 1.5 more children on average than in Iran
Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024) · Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in Iran are 65 or older, versus 3.4% in Iraq
Iran: 8.6% (2025) · Iraq: 3.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iran hosts 22% more refugees per resident than Iraq
Iran: 8.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Iraq: 6.9 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Iran has produced 0.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iraq 0.2
Iran: 0.3 (2026) · Iraq: 0.2 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iraq has 3 official languages, Iran 1
Iran: 1 (2026) · Iraq: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Iran’s economy is 43% larger than Iraq’s
Iran: $363 billion (2025) · Iraq: $254 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Iran produces 38% more per person than Iraq
Iran: Int$19,699 (2025) · Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iran than in Iraq (Gini 6.1 points higher)
Iran: 35.9 (2023) · Iraq: 29.8 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
2.5% of people in Iran live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.5% in Iraq
Iran: 2.5% (2023) · Iraq: 0.5% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 8.3% in Iran
Iran: 8.3% (2025) · Iraq: 15.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iraq and Iran are practically level
Iran: 2.1% (2025) · Iraq: 2.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Iran: no data · Iraq: 1.3% (2019)
How expensive is it?
Iraq’s price level (US = 100) is 1.9× Iran’s
Iran: 20% (2025) · Iraq: 38% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Iraq spends 25% more on health per person than Iran
Iran: $267 (2023) · Iraq: $333 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Iran live 5.4 years longer than in Iraq
Iran: 77.9 years (2024) · Iraq: 72.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iraq is 2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Iran
Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Iran has 77% more doctors per person than Iraq
Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023) · Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Iran has 75% more hospital beds per person than Iraq
Iran: 1.9 per 1,000 (2019) · Iraq: 1.1 per 1,000 (2018)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Iran is 18% higher than in Iraq
Iran: 6 per 100k (2023) · Iraq: 5.1 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Iraq are obese, versus 26% in Iran
Iran: 25.7% (2024) · Iraq: 36.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Iraq smoke, versus 12% in Iran
Iran: 11.9% (2024) · Iraq: 20.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Iraq rate their lives 0.06 points higher than in Iran
Iran: 5.15 (2025) · Iraq: 5.21 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Iraq drink 30 times as much alcohol as in Iran
Iran: 0.021 litres (2023) · Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Iran has 42% more meat per person than Iraq
Iran: 29.9 kg (2023) · Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Iran has 505 kcal more food per person per day than Iraq
Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023) · Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 663 more hours a year than in Iraq
Iran: 2,246 hours (2023) · Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Iran went to school 4.1 years longer than in Iraq
Iran: 10.8 years (2023) · Iraq: 6.8 years (2023)
How many World Heritage sites?
Iran has 24 more World Heritage sites than Iraq (30 against 6)
Iran: 30 (2026) · Iraq: 6 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Iran has won 88 Olympic medals, Iraq 1
Iran: 88 (2026 edition) · Iraq: 1 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
85% of people in Iran are online, versus 81% in Iraq
Iran: 85% (2024) · Iraq: 81% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Iran: no data · Iraq: 62 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iran and Iraq are practically level
Iran: 100% (2024) · Iraq: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Iran live in cities, versus 70% in Iraq
Iran: 77% (2025) · Iraq: 70% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Iraq 100
Iran: 174 (2024) · Iraq: 100 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iran’s railway network is 4 times as long as Iraq’s
Iran: 9,455 km (2021) · Iraq: 2,370 km (2014)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Iran fly 2.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iraq
Iran: 0.2 (2023) · Iraq: 0.08 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 6.6% of Iran, but only 1.6% of Iraq
Iran: 6.6% (2024) · Iraq: 1.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 71% more CO₂ than someone in Iraq
Iran: 8.7 t (2024) · Iraq: 5.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
3.8% of Iran’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq
Iran: 3.8% (2025) · Iraq: 1.6% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iraq carries 29% more fine dust than in Iran
Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014) · Iraq: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iraq are 9% deadlier than in Iran
Iran: 28.9 per 100k (2023) · Iraq: 31.5 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iraq is on average 4.6 °C warmer than Iran
Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Iran gets 27% more rain than Iraq
Iran: 272 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 Iran bigger than Iraq?
Iran is larger. Iraq fits inside Iran 4 times.
Which has more people, Iran or Iraq?
Iran has 2 times as many people as Iraq (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iran or Iraq?
People in Iran live 5.4 years longer than in Iraq. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Iran and 72.4 in Iraq.
Are people taller in Iran or Iraq?
Men in Iran are 1.8 cm taller than in Iraq (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
