Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Iraq is 44% bigger than Italy
Iraq: 435,050 km² (2024) · Italy: 302,070 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Italy’s coastline is 131 times as long as Iraq’s
Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition) · Italy: 7,600 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Italy’s highest peak towers 1,137 m above Iraq’s
Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition) · Italy: 4,748 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 44% of Italy, versus 22% of Iraq
Iraq: 21.6% (2024) · Italy: 43.6% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Italy has 25% more people than Iraq
Iraq: 47 million (2025) · Italy: 58.9 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Italy is 84% more densely populated than Iraq
Iraq: 108 per km² (2025) · Italy: 199 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Italy and Iraq are practically level
Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019) · Italy: 174.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Italy are 3.1 cm taller than in Iraq
Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019) · Italy: 161.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Italy is 27 years older than in Iraq
Iraq: 20.3 years (2023) · Italy: 47.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iraq have 2.0 more children on average than in Italy
Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024) · Italy: 1.18 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Italy are 65 or older, versus 3.4% in Iraq
Iraq: 3.4% (2025) · Italy: 25.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iraq hosts 2.1 times as many refugees per resident as Italy
Iraq: 6.9 per 1,000 (2025) · Italy: 3.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Italy has produced 3.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iraq 0.2
Iraq: 0.2 (2026) · Italy: 3.4 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iraq has 3 official languages, Italy 1
Iraq: 3 (2026) · Italy: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Italy’s economy is 10 times the size of Iraq’s
Iraq: $254 billion (2025) · Italy: $2.55 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Italy produces 4.4 times as much per person as Iraq
Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025) · Italy: Int$62,803 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Italy than in Iraq (Gini 4.5 points higher)
Iraq: 29.8 (2023) · Italy: 34.3 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Italy and Iraq are practically level
Iraq: 0.5% (2023) · Italy: 0.9% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 6.4% in Italy
Iraq: 15.5% (2025) · Italy: 6.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iraq spends 2.4% of its GDP on the military, Italy 1.9%
Iraq: 2.4% (2025) · Italy: 1.9% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Italy’s central government collects 26% of GDP in tax, Iraq’s 1.3%
Iraq: 1.3% (2019) · Italy: 25.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Italy’s price level (US = 100) is 1.8× Iraq’s
Iraq: 38% (2025) · Italy: 69% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Italy spends 10 times as much on health per person as Iraq
Iraq: $333 (2023) · Italy: $3,398 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Italy live 12 years longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 72.4 years (2024) · Italy: 84 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iraq is 8.7 times as likely to die before turning one as in Italy
Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Italy: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Italy has 4.1 times as many doctors per person as Iraq
Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022) · Italy: 4.2 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Italy has 2.9 times as many hospital beds per person as Iraq
Iraq: 1.1 per 1,000 (2018) · Italy: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Italy is 12% higher than in Iraq
Iraq: 5.1 per 100k (2023) · Italy: 5.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Iraq are obese, versus 18% in Italy
Iraq: 36.8% (2024) · Italy: 17.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
22% of adults in Italy smoke, versus 20% in Iraq
Iraq: 20.1% (2024) · Italy: 22.4% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Italy rate their lives 1.36 points higher than in Iraq
Iraq: 5.21 (2025) · Italy: 6.57 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Italy drink 14 times as much alcohol as in Iraq
Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023) · Italy: 8.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Italy has 3.4 times as much meat per person as Iraq
Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023) · Italy: 71.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Italy has 1,382 kcal more food per person per day than Iraq
Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023) · Italy: 3,753 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Italy put in 118 more hours a year than in Iraq
Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023) · Italy: 1,701 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Italy went to school 4 years longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 6.8 years (2023) · Italy: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iraq: no data · Italy: 0.98 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Italy has 56 more World Heritage sites than Iraq (62 against 6)
Iraq: 6 (2026) · Italy: 62 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Italy has won 829 Olympic medals, Iraq 1
Iraq: 1 (2026 edition) · Italy: 829 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
89% of people in Italy are online, versus 81% in Iraq
Iraq: 81% (2024) · Italy: 89% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Italy is 4.4 times as fast as in Iraq
Iraq: 62 Mbps (2026) · Italy: 274 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iraq and Italy are practically level
Iraq: 100% (2024) · Italy: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
Iraq and Italy are practically level
Iraq: 70% (2025) · Italy: 70% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Italy has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Iraq 100
Iraq: 100 (2024) · Italy: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Italy’s railway network is 7.3 times as long as Iraq’s
Iraq: 2,370 km (2014) · Italy: 17,305 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Italy fly 4.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iraq
Iraq: 0.08 (2023) · Italy: 0.34 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 32% of Italy, but only 1.6% of Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Italy: 31.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
Italy and Iraq are nearly identical here
Iraq: 5.1 t (2024) · Italy: 5.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
49% of Italy’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Italy: 48.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iraq carries 3.2 times as much fine dust as in Italy
Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024) · Italy: 15.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Iraq: no data · Italy: 0.6 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iraq are 3.7 times as deadly as in Italy
Iraq: 31.5 per 100k (2023) · Italy: 8.5 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iraq is on average 10.0 °C warmer than Italy
Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Italy: 13.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Italy gets 4.8 times as much rain as Iraq
Iraq: 214 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Italy: 1,030 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iraq bigger than Italy?
Iraq is larger. Iraq is 44% bigger than Italy.
Which has more people, Iraq or Italy?
Italy has 25% more people than Iraq (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iraq or Italy?
People in Italy live 12 years longer than in Iraq. Life expectancy at birth is 72.4 years in Iraq and 84.0 in Italy.
Are people taller in Iraq or Italy?
Italy and Iraq are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
