Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Norway is 44% bigger than Iraq
Iraq: 435,050 km² (2024) · Norway: 624,500 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Norway’s coastline is 434 times as long as Iraq’s
Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition) · Norway: 25,148 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iraq’s highest peak towers 1,142 m above Norway’s
Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition) · Norway: 2,469 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 22% of Iraq, versus 2.7% of Norway
Iraq: 21.6% (2024) · Norway: 2.7% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iraq has 8.4 times as many people as Norway
Iraq: 47 million (2025) · Norway: 5.61 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iraq is 7 times as densely populated as Norway
Iraq: 108 per km² (2025) · Norway: 15 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Norway are 6.7 cm taller than in Iraq
Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019) · Norway: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Norway are 7.7 cm taller than in Iraq
Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019) · Norway: 166.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Norway is 19 years older than in Iraq
Iraq: 20.3 years (2023) · Norway: 39.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iraq have 1.8 more children on average than in Norway
Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024) · Norway: 1.45 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
19% of people in Norway are 65 or older, versus 3.4% in Iraq
Iraq: 3.4% (2025) · Norway: 19.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Norway hosts 3.2 times as many refugees per resident as Iraq
Iraq: 6.9 per 1,000 (2025) · Norway: 22.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Norway has produced 23.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iraq 0.2
Iraq: 0.2 (2026) · Norway: 23.2 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iraq and Norway are practically level
Iraq: 3 (2026) · Norway: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Norway’s economy is 2.1 times the size of Iraq’s
Iraq: $254 billion (2025) · Norway: $531 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Norway produces 7.3 times as much per person as Iraq
Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025) · Norway: Int$104,044 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iraq than in Norway (Gini 3.3 points higher)
Iraq: 29.8 (2023) · Norway: 26.5 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Iraq and Norway are practically level
Iraq: 0.5% (2023) · Norway: 0.2% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 4.6% in Norway
Iraq: 15.5% (2025) · Norway: 4.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Norway spends 3.3% of its GDP on the military, Iraq 2.4%
Iraq: 2.4% (2025) · Norway: 3.3% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Norway’s central government collects 25% of GDP in tax, Iraq’s 1.3%
Iraq: 1.3% (2019) · Norway: 24.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Norway’s price level (US = 100) is 2.4× Iraq’s
Iraq: 38% (2025) · Norway: 91% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Norway spends 25 times as much on health per person as Iraq
Iraq: $333 (2023) · Norway: $8,296 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Norway live 11 years longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 72.4 years (2024) · Norway: 83.2 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iraq is 10 times as likely to die before turning one as in Norway
Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Norway: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Norway has 4.9 times as many doctors per person as Iraq
Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022) · Norway: 5 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Norway has 3.1 times as many hospital beds per person as Iraq
Iraq: 1.1 per 1,000 (2018) · Norway: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Norway is 2.3 times that in Iraq
Iraq: 5.1 per 100k (2023) · Norway: 11.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Iraq are obese, versus 21% in Norway
Iraq: 36.8% (2024) · Norway: 20.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Iraq smoke, versus 13% in Norway
Iraq: 20.1% (2024) · Norway: 12.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Norway rate their lives 2.03 points higher than in Iraq
Iraq: 5.21 (2025) · Norway: 7.24 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Norway drink 11 times as much alcohol as in Iraq
Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023) · Norway: 7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Norway has 3.3 times as much meat per person as Iraq
Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023) · Norway: 70.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Norway has 1,105 kcal more food per person per day than Iraq
Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023) · Norway: 3,476 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iraq put in 171 more hours a year than in Norway
Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023) · Norway: 1,412 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Norway went to school 6.3 years longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 6.8 years (2023) · Norway: 13.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iraq: no data · Norway: 0.91 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Norway has 2 more World Heritage sites than Iraq (8 against 6)
Iraq: 6 (2026) · Norway: 8 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Norway has won 616 Olympic medals, Iraq 1
Iraq: 1 (2026 edition) · Norway: 616 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
99% of people in Norway are online, versus 81% in Iraq
Iraq: 81% (2024) · Norway: 99% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Norway is 3.7 times as fast as in Iraq
Iraq: 62 Mbps (2026) · Norway: 228 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iraq and Norway are practically level
Iraq: 100% (2024) · Norway: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in Norway live in cities, versus 70% in Iraq
Iraq: 70% (2025) · Norway: 84% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Norway has 109 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Iraq 100
Iraq: 100 (2024) · Norway: 109 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Norway’s railway network is 64% longer than Iraq’s
Iraq: 2,370 km (2014) · Norway: 3,885 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Iraq: 0.08 (2023) · Norway: no data
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of Norway, but only 1.6% of Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Norway: 33.2% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Norway emits 31% more CO₂ than someone in Iraq
Iraq: 5.1 t (2024) · Norway: 6.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
99% of Norway’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Norway: 99% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iraq carries 7.3 times as much fine dust as in Norway
Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024) · Norway: 6.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Iraq: no data · Norway: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iraq are 11 times as deadly as in Norway
Iraq: 31.5 per 100k (2023) · Norway: 2.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iraq is on average 22.3 °C warmer than Norway
Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Norway: 1.6°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Norway gets 5.9 times as much rain as Iraq
Iraq: 214 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Norway: 1,259 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iraq bigger than Norway?
Norway is larger. Norway is 44% bigger than Iraq.
Which has more people, Iraq or Norway?
Iraq has 8.4 times as many people as Norway (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iraq or Norway?
People in Norway live 11 years longer than in Iraq. Life expectancy at birth is 72.4 years in Iraq and 83.2 in Norway.
Are people taller in Iraq or Norway?
Men in Norway are 6.7 cm taller than in Iraq (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
