Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ireland fits inside Iraq 6.2 times
Iraq: 435,050 km² (2024) · Ireland: 70,280 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Ireland’s coastline is 25 times as long as Iraq’s
Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition) · Ireland: 1,448 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iraq’s highest peak towers 2,570 m above Ireland’s
Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition) · Ireland: 1,041 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 65% of Ireland, versus 22% of Iraq
Iraq: 21.6% (2024) · Ireland: 65.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iraq has 8.6 times as many people as Ireland
Iraq: 47 million (2025) · Ireland: 5.48 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iraq is 36% more densely populated than Ireland
Iraq: 108 per km² (2025) · Ireland: 80 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ireland are 5.3 cm taller than in Iraq
Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019) · Ireland: 179 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ireland are 5.8 cm taller than in Iraq
Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019) · Ireland: 164.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ireland is 18 years older than in Iraq
Iraq: 20.3 years (2023) · Ireland: 38.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iraq have 1.8 more children on average than in Ireland
Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024) · Ireland: 1.47 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
16% of people in Ireland are 65 or older, versus 3.4% in Iraq
Iraq: 3.4% (2025) · Ireland: 16.2% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Ireland hosts 3.7 times as many refugees per resident as Iraq
Iraq: 6.9 per 1,000 (2025) · Ireland: 25.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ireland has produced 9.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iraq 0.2
Iraq: 0.2 (2026) · Ireland: 9.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iraq has 3 official languages, Ireland 2
Iraq: 3 (2026) · Ireland: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Ireland’s economy is 2.8 times the size of Iraq’s
Iraq: $254 billion (2025) · Ireland: $722 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Ireland produces 11 times as much per person as Iraq
Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025) · Ireland: Int$155,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iraq than in Ireland (Gini 0.8 points higher)
Iraq: 29.8 (2023) · Ireland: 29 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Iraq and Ireland are practically level
Iraq: 0.5% (2023) · Ireland: 0.1% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 4.6% in Ireland
Iraq: 15.5% (2025) · Ireland: 4.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iraq spends 2.4% of its GDP on the military, Ireland 0.2%
Iraq: 2.4% (2025) · Ireland: 0.2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Ireland’s central government collects 18% of GDP in tax, Iraq’s 1.3%
Iraq: 1.3% (2019) · Ireland: 17.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Ireland’s price level (US = 100) is 2.2× Iraq’s
Iraq: 38% (2025) · Ireland: 85% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ireland spends 22 times as much on health per person as Iraq
Iraq: $333 (2023) · Ireland: $7,395 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Ireland live 11 years longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 72.4 years (2024) · Ireland: 83 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 Ireland
Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Ireland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ireland has 3.8 times as many doctors per person as Iraq
Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022) · Ireland: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Ireland has 2.8 times as many hospital beds per person as Iraq
Iraq: 1.1 per 1,000 (2018) · Ireland: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Ireland is 41% higher than in Iraq
Iraq: 5.1 per 100k (2023) · Ireland: 7.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Iraq are obese, versus 31% in Ireland
Iraq: 36.8% (2024) · Ireland: 30.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Iraq smoke, versus 18% in Ireland
Iraq: 20.1% (2024) · Ireland: 18.2% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ireland rate their lives 1.72 points higher than in Iraq
Iraq: 5.21 (2025) · Ireland: 6.93 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ireland drink 17 times as much alcohol as in Iraq
Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023) · Ireland: 10.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Ireland has 4.7 times as much meat per person as Iraq
Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023) · Ireland: 98.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ireland has 1,550 kcal more food per person per day than Iraq
Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023) · Ireland: 3,921 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Ireland put in 71 more hours a year than in Iraq
Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023) · Ireland: 1,654 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Ireland went to school 4.9 years longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 6.8 years (2023) · Ireland: 11.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iraq: no data · Ireland: 2.2 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
Iraq has 4 more World Heritage sites than Ireland (6 against 2)
Iraq: 6 (2026) · Ireland: 2 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Ireland has won 42 Olympic medals, Iraq 1
Iraq: 1 (2026 edition) · Ireland: 42 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Ireland are online, versus 81% in Iraq
Iraq: 81% (2024) · Ireland: 97% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Ireland is 4.9 times as fast as in Iraq
Iraq: 62 Mbps (2026) · Ireland: 300 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iraq and Ireland are practically level
Iraq: 100% (2024) · Ireland: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
70% of people in Iraq live in cities, versus 65% in Ireland
Iraq: 70% (2025) · Ireland: 65% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Ireland has 113 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Iraq 100
Iraq: 100 (2024) · Ireland: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iraq’s railway network is 44% longer than Ireland’s
Iraq: 2,370 km (2014) · Ireland: 1,650 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ireland fly 439 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iraq
Iraq: 0.08 (2023) · Ireland: 35.11 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 12% of Ireland, but only 1.6% of Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Ireland: 12% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Ireland emits 25% more CO₂ than someone in Iraq
Iraq: 5.1 t (2024) · Ireland: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
48% of Ireland’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Ireland: 48.1% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iraq carries 6.6 times as much fine dust as in Ireland
Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024) · Ireland: 7.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Iraq: no data · Ireland: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iraq are 6.1 times as deadly as in Ireland
Iraq: 31.5 per 100k (2023) · Ireland: 5.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iraq is on average 13.6 °C warmer than Ireland
Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Ireland: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ireland gets 5.3 times as much rain as Iraq
Iraq: 214 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Ireland: 1,139 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iraq bigger than Ireland?
Iraq is larger. Ireland fits inside Iraq 6.2 times.
Which has more people, Iraq or Ireland?
Iraq has 8.6 times as many people as Ireland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iraq or Ireland?
People in Ireland live 11 years longer than in Iraq. Life expectancy at birth is 72.4 years in Iraq and 83.0 in Ireland.
Are people taller in Iraq or Ireland?
Men in Ireland are 5.3 cm taller than in Iraq (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
