Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Iraq fits inside Nigeria 2.1 times
Iraq: 435,050 km² (2024) · Nigeria: 923,768 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Nigeria’s coastline is 15 times as long as Iraq’s
Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iraq’s highest peak towers 1,192 m above Nigeria’s
Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 77% of Nigeria, versus 22% of Iraq
Iraq: 21.6% (2024) · Nigeria: 77.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 5.1 times as many people as Iraq
Iraq: 47 million (2025) · Nigeria: 238 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Nigeria is 2.4 times as densely populated as Iraq
Iraq: 108 per km² (2025) · Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iraq are 2.2 cm taller than in Nigeria
Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Iraq and Nigeria are practically level
Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iraq is 2.6 years older than in Nigeria
Iraq: 20.3 years (2023) · Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 1.2 more children on average than in Iraq
Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024) · Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Iraq and Nigeria are practically level
Iraq: 3.4% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iraq hosts 13 times as many refugees per resident as Nigeria
Iraq: 6.9 per 1,000 (2025) · Nigeria: 0.5 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Iraq has produced 0.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0
Iraq: 0.2 (2026) · Nigeria: 0.042 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iraq has 3 official languages, Nigeria 1
Iraq: 3 (2026) · Nigeria: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Nigeria’s economy is 14% larger than Iraq’s
Iraq: $254 billion (2025) · Nigeria: $291 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Iraq produces 50% more per person than Nigeria
Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025) · Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Nigeria than in Iraq (Gini 4.1 points higher)
Iraq: 29.8 (2023) · Nigeria: 33.9 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
42% of people in Nigeria live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.5% in Iraq
Iraq: 0.5% (2023) · Nigeria: 41.8% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 3.1% in Nigeria
Iraq: 15.5% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iraq spends 2.4% of its GDP on the military, Nigeria 0.9%
Iraq: 2.4% (2025) · Nigeria: 0.9% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Iraq: 1.3% (2019) · Nigeria: no data
How expensive is it?
Iraq’s price level (US = 100) is 3× Nigeria’s
Iraq: 38% (2025) · Nigeria: 13% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Iraq spends 5 times as much on health per person as Nigeria
Iraq: $333 (2023) · Nigeria: $67 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Iraq live 18 years longer than in Nigeria
Iraq: 72.4 years (2024) · Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 3.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in Iraq
Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Iraq has 2.7 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria
Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022) · Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Iraq: 1.1 per 1,000 (2018) · Nigeria: no data
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Nigeria is 27% higher than in Iraq
Iraq: 5.1 per 100k (2023) · Nigeria: 6.5 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Iraq are obese, versus 12% in Nigeria
Iraq: 36.8% (2024) · Nigeria: 12.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Iraq smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria
Iraq: 20.1% (2024) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Iraq rate their lives 0.42 points higher than in Nigeria
Iraq: 5.21 (2025) · Nigeria: 4.79 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Nigeria drink 3.3 times as much alcohol as in Iraq
Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023) · Nigeria: 2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Iraq has 3 times as much meat per person as Nigeria
Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023) · Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Nigeria has 100 kcal more food per person per day than Iraq
Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023) · Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Nigeria put in 478 more hours a year than in Iraq
Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023) · Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Nigeria went to school 0.81 years longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 6.8 years (2023) · Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iraq: no data · Nigeria: 0.0023 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Iraq has 4 more World Heritage sites than Nigeria (6 against 2)
Iraq: 6 (2026) · Nigeria: 2 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Nigeria has won 27 Olympic medals, Iraq 1
Iraq: 1 (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 27 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
81% of people in Iraq are online, versus 41% in Nigeria
Iraq: 81% (2024) · Nigeria: 41% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Iraq is 41% faster than in Nigeria
Iraq: 62 Mbps (2026) · Nigeria: 44 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Iraq have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria
Iraq: 100% (2024) · Nigeria: 62.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
70% of people in Iraq live in cities, versus 64% in Nigeria
Iraq: 70% (2025) · Nigeria: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iraq has 100 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71
Iraq: 100 (2024) · Nigeria: 71 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Nigeria’s railway network is 49% longer than Iraq’s
Iraq: 2,370 km (2014) · Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Iraq fly 3.6 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria
Iraq: 0.08 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 19% of Nigeria, but only 1.6% of Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Nigeria: 18.9% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iraq emits 8.7 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria
Iraq: 5.1 t (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of Nigeria’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Nigeria: 31.3% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 2% more fine dust than in Iraq
Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024) · Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Iraq: no data · Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iraq are 28% deadlier than in Nigeria
Iraq: 31.5 per 100k (2023) · Nigeria: 24.7 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 3.5 °C warmer than Iraq
Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Nigeria gets 4.9 times as much rain as Iraq
Iraq: 214 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iraq bigger than Nigeria?
Nigeria is larger. Iraq fits inside Nigeria 2.1 times.
Which has more people, Iraq or Nigeria?
Nigeria has 5.1 times as many people as Iraq (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iraq or Nigeria?
People in Iraq live 18 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 72.4 years in Iraq and 54.6 in Nigeria.
Are people taller in Iraq or Nigeria?
Men in Iraq are 2.2 cm taller than in Nigeria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
