Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside Iraq 10 times
Iraq: 435,050 km² (2024) · Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The Netherlands’ coastline is 7.8 times as long as Iraq’s
Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iraq’s highest peak towers 2,749 m above the Netherlands’
Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 53% of the Netherlands, versus 22% of Iraq
Iraq: 21.6% (2024) · Netherlands: 53.4% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iraq has 2.6 times as many people as the Netherlands
Iraq: 47 million (2025) · Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 5 times as densely populated as Iraq
Iraq: 108 per km² (2025) · Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 10.0 cm taller than in Iraq
Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 11.6 cm taller than in Iraq
Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 21 years older than in Iraq
Iraq: 20.3 years (2023) · Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iraq have 1.8 more children on average than in the Netherlands
Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024) · Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in the Netherlands are 65 or older, versus 3.4% in Iraq
Iraq: 3.4% (2025) · Netherlands: 20.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The Netherlands hosts 2.3 times as many refugees per resident as Iraq
Iraq: 6.9 per 1,000 (2025) · Netherlands: 15.7 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iraq 0.2
Iraq: 0.2 (2026) · Netherlands: 11.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iraq has 3 official languages, the Netherlands 1
Iraq: 3 (2026) · Netherlands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 5.2 times the size of Iraq’s
Iraq: $254 billion (2025) · Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 6.1 times as much per person as Iraq
Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025) · Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iraq than in the Netherlands (Gini 4.1 points higher)
Iraq: 29.8 (2023) · Netherlands: 25.7 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Iraq and the Netherlands are practically level
Iraq: 0.5% (2023) · Netherlands: 0.1% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 3.9% in the Netherlands
Iraq: 15.5% (2025) · Netherlands: 3.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iraq and the Netherlands are practically level
Iraq: 2.4% (2025) · Netherlands: 2.2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The Netherlands’ central government collects 25% of GDP in tax, Iraq’s 1.3%
Iraq: 1.3% (2019) · Netherlands: 25.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 2.2× Iraq’s
Iraq: 38% (2025) · Netherlands: 84% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 21 times as much on health per person as Iraq
Iraq: $333 (2023) · Netherlands: $6,845 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 9.5 years longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 72.4 years (2024) · Netherlands: 82 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 the Netherlands
Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 3.8 times as many doctors per person as Iraq
Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022) · Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The Netherlands has 2.3 times as many hospital beds per person as Iraq
Iraq: 1.1 per 1,000 (2018) · Netherlands: 2.4 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the Netherlands is 88% higher than in Iraq
Iraq: 5.1 per 100k (2023) · Netherlands: 9.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Iraq are obese, versus 17% in the Netherlands
Iraq: 36.8% (2024) · Netherlands: 16.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
The Netherlands and Iraq are practically level
Iraq: 20.1% (2024) · Netherlands: 20.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 2.01 points higher than in Iraq
Iraq: 5.21 (2025) · Netherlands: 7.22 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Netherlands drink 14 times as much alcohol as in Iraq
Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023) · Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Netherlands has 3.4 times as much meat per person as Iraq
Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023) · Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 1,096 kcal more food per person per day than Iraq
Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023) · Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iraq put in 144 more hours a year than in the Netherlands
Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023) · Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 5.9 years longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 6.8 years (2023) · Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iraq: no data · Netherlands: 0.91 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
The Netherlands has 7 more World Heritage sites than Iraq (13 against 6)
Iraq: 6 (2026) · Netherlands: 13 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The Netherlands has won 524 Olympic medals, Iraq 1
Iraq: 1 (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 524 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 81% in Iraq
Iraq: 81% (2024) · Netherlands: 97% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the Netherlands is 5.2 times as fast as in Iraq
Iraq: 62 Mbps (2026) · Netherlands: 324 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iraq and the Netherlands are practically level
Iraq: 100% (2024) · Netherlands: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 70% in Iraq
Iraq: 70% (2025) · Netherlands: 96% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Iraq 100
Iraq: 100 (2024) · Netherlands: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The Netherlands’ railway network is 28% longer than Iraq’s
Iraq: 2,370 km (2014) · Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 29 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iraq
Iraq: 0.08 (2023) · Netherlands: 2.29 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 11% of the Netherlands, but only 1.6% of Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Netherlands: 11% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 24% more CO₂ than someone in Iraq
Iraq: 5.1 t (2024) · Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
51% of the Netherlands’ electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Netherlands: 51.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iraq carries 5.1 times as much fine dust as in the Netherlands
Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024) · Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Iraq: no data · Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iraq are 6.2 times as deadly as in the Netherlands
Iraq: 31.5 per 100k (2023) · Netherlands: 5.1 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iraq is on average 12.7 °C warmer than the Netherlands
Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Netherlands gets 4.2 times as much rain as Iraq
Iraq: 214 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iraq bigger than the Netherlands?
Iraq is larger. The Netherlands fits inside Iraq 10 times.
Which has more people, Iraq or the Netherlands?
Iraq has 2.6 times as many people as the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iraq or the Netherlands?
People in the Netherlands live 9.5 years longer than in Iraq. Life expectancy at birth is 72.4 years in Iraq and 82.0 in the Netherlands.
Are people taller in Iraq or the Netherlands?
Men in the Netherlands are 10.0 cm taller than in Iraq (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).