Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Kuwait fits inside Iraq 24 times
Iraq: 435,050 km² (2024) · Kuwait: 17,820 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Kuwait’s coastline is 8.6 times as long as Iraq’s
Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition) · Kuwait: 499 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iraq’s highest peak towers 3,311 m above Kuwait’s
Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition) · Kuwait: 300 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 22% of Iraq, versus 8.4% of Kuwait
Iraq: 21.6% (2024) · Kuwait: 8.4% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iraq has 9.7 times as many people as Kuwait
Iraq: 47 million (2025) · Kuwait: 4.87 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Kuwait is 2.5 times as densely populated as Iraq
Iraq: 108 per km² (2025) · Kuwait: 273 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Kuwait are 1.2 cm taller than in Iraq
Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019) · Kuwait: 175 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Kuwait are 1.3 cm taller than in Iraq
Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019) · Kuwait: 160.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Kuwait is 14 years older than in Iraq
Iraq: 20.3 years (2023) · Kuwait: 34.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iraq have 1.7 more children on average than in Kuwait
Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024) · Kuwait: 1.56 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Iraq and Kuwait are practically level
Iraq: 3.4% (2025) · Kuwait: 3.2% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iraq hosts 86 times as many refugees per resident as Kuwait
Iraq: 6.9 per 1,000 (2025) · Kuwait: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Iraq has produced 0.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Kuwait none
Iraq: 0.2 (2026) · Kuwait: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iraq has 3 official languages, Kuwait 1
Iraq: 3 (2026) · Kuwait: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Iraq’s economy is 62% larger than Kuwait’s
Iraq: $254 billion (2025) · Kuwait: $157 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Kuwait produces 4 times as much per person as Iraq
Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025) · Kuwait: Int$56,468 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Iraq: 29.8 (2023) · Kuwait: no data
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Iraq: 0.5% (2023) · Kuwait: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 2.2% in Kuwait
Iraq: 15.5% (2025) · Kuwait: 2.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Kuwait spends 4.7% of its GDP on the military, Iraq 2.4%
Iraq: 2.4% (2025) · Kuwait: 4.7% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Iraq: 1.3% (2019) · Kuwait: no data
How expensive is it?
Kuwait’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Iraq’s
Iraq: 38% (2025) · Kuwait: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Kuwait spends 5 times as much on health per person as Iraq
Iraq: $333 (2023) · Kuwait: $1,679 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Kuwait live 12 years longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 72.4 years (2024) · Kuwait: 84.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iraq is 2.9 times as likely to die before turning one as in Kuwait
Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Kuwait: 7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Kuwait has 2.2 times as many doctors per person as Iraq
Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022) · Kuwait: 2.3 per 1,000 (2020)
How many hospital beds are there?
Kuwait has 2.2 times as many hospital beds per person as Iraq
Iraq: 1.1 per 1,000 (2018) · Kuwait: 2.3 per 1,000 (2020)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Iraq is 82% higher than in Kuwait
Iraq: 5.1 per 100k (2023) · Kuwait: 2.8 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
41% of adults in Kuwait are obese, versus 37% in Iraq
Iraq: 36.8% (2024) · Kuwait: 41.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Iraq smoke, versus 19% in Kuwait
Iraq: 20.1% (2024) · Kuwait: 19.4% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Kuwait rate their lives 1.33 points higher than in Iraq
Iraq: 5.21 (2025) · Kuwait: 6.54 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Iraq drink 5.3 times as much alcohol as in Kuwait
Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023) · Kuwait: 0.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Kuwait has 3 times as much meat per person as Iraq
Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023) · Kuwait: 62.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Kuwait has 765 kcal more food per person per day than Iraq
Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023) · Kuwait: 3,136 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Kuwait put in 735 more hours a year than in Iraq
Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023) · Kuwait: 2,318 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Kuwait went to school 0.79 years longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 6.8 years (2023) · Kuwait: 7.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iraq: no data · Kuwait: 0.03 (2023)
How many World Heritage sites?
Iraq has 6 more World Heritage sites than Kuwait (6 against 0)
Iraq: 6 (2026) · Kuwait: 0 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Kuwait has won 3 Olympic medals, Iraq 1
Iraq: 1 (2026 edition) · Kuwait: 3 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in Kuwait are online, versus 81% in Iraq
Iraq: 81% (2024) · Kuwait: 100% (2025)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Kuwait is 4.1 times as fast as in Iraq
Iraq: 62 Mbps (2026) · Kuwait: 255 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iraq and Kuwait are practically level
Iraq: 100% (2024) · Kuwait: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
100% of people in Kuwait live in cities, versus 70% in Iraq
Iraq: 70% (2025) · Kuwait: 100% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Kuwait has 168 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Iraq 100
Iraq: 100 (2024) · Kuwait: 168 (2023)
How much railway is there?
Iraq: 2,370 km (2014) · Kuwait: no data
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Kuwait fly 24 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iraq
Iraq: 0.08 (2023) · Kuwait: 1.95 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 1.6% of Iraq, but only 0.4% of Kuwait
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Kuwait: 0.4% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Kuwait emits 5.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Iraq
Iraq: 5.1 t (2024) · Kuwait: 26.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
2.2% of Kuwait’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Kuwait: 2.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Kuwait carries 17% more fine dust than in Iraq
Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024) · Kuwait: 57.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Iraq: no data · Kuwait: 0.2 per 100k (2020)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iraq are 2.8 times as deadly as in Kuwait
Iraq: 31.5 per 100k (2023) · Kuwait: 11.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Kuwait is on average 3.2 °C warmer than Iraq
Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Kuwait: 27°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Iraq gets 72% more rain than Kuwait
Iraq: 214 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Kuwait: 124 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iraq bigger than Kuwait?
Iraq is larger. Kuwait fits inside Iraq 24 times.
Which has more people, Iraq or Kuwait?
Iraq has 9.7 times as many people as Kuwait (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iraq or Kuwait?
People in Kuwait live 12 years longer than in Iraq. Life expectancy at birth is 72.4 years in Iraq and 84.6 in Kuwait.
Are people taller in Iraq or Kuwait?
Men in Kuwait are 1.2 cm taller than in Iraq (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
