Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Portugal fits inside Iraq 4.7 times
Iraq: 435,050 km² (2024) · Portugal: 92,230 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Portugal’s coastline is 31 times as long as Iraq’s
Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition) · Portugal: 1,793 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iraq’s highest peak towers 1,260 m above Portugal’s
Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition) · Portugal: 2,351 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 41% of Portugal, versus 22% of Iraq
Iraq: 21.6% (2024) · Portugal: 41.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iraq has 4.4 times as many people as Portugal
Iraq: 47 million (2025) · Portugal: 10.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Portugal is 9% more densely populated than Iraq
Iraq: 108 per km² (2025) · Portugal: 118 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Portugal and Iraq are practically level
Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019) · Portugal: 174.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Portugal are 2.5 cm taller than in Iraq
Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019) · Portugal: 161.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Portugal is 26 years older than in Iraq
Iraq: 20.3 years (2023) · Portugal: 46.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iraq have 1.8 more children on average than in Portugal
Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024) · Portugal: 1.41 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Portugal are 65 or older, versus 3.4% in Iraq
Iraq: 3.4% (2025) · Portugal: 24.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iraq hosts 5% more refugees per resident than Portugal
Iraq: 6.9 per 1,000 (2025) · Portugal: 6.5 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Portugal has produced 1.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iraq 0.2
Iraq: 0.2 (2026) · Portugal: 1.9 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iraq has 3 official languages, Portugal 1
Iraq: 3 (2026) · Portugal: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Portugal’s economy is 36% larger than Iraq’s
Iraq: $254 billion (2025) · Portugal: $347 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Portugal produces 3.7 times as much per person as Iraq
Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025) · Portugal: Int$53,146 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Portugal than in Iraq (Gini 4.1 points higher)
Iraq: 29.8 (2023) · Portugal: 33.9 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Iraq and Portugal are practically level
Iraq: 0.5% (2023) · Portugal: 0.4% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 6.2% in Portugal
Iraq: 15.5% (2025) · Portugal: 6.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iraq spends 2.4% of its GDP on the military, Portugal 1.7%
Iraq: 2.4% (2025) · Portugal: 1.7% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Portugal’s central government collects 22% of GDP in tax, Iraq’s 1.3%
Iraq: 1.3% (2019) · Portugal: 22.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Portugal’s price level (US = 100) is 1.6× Iraq’s
Iraq: 38% (2025) · Portugal: 60% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Portugal spends 8.9 times as much on health per person as Iraq
Iraq: $333 (2023) · Portugal: $2,971 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Portugal live 10 years longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 72.4 years (2024) · Portugal: 82.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iraq is 7.4 times as likely to die before turning one as in Portugal
Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Portugal: 2.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Portugal has 5.7 times as many doctors per person as Iraq
Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022) · Portugal: 5.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Portugal has 3.3 times as many hospital beds per person as Iraq
Iraq: 1.1 per 1,000 (2018) · Portugal: 3.5 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Portugal is 69% higher than in Iraq
Iraq: 5.1 per 100k (2023) · Portugal: 8.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Iraq are obese, versus 23% in Portugal
Iraq: 36.8% (2024) · Portugal: 23% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
29% of adults in Portugal smoke, versus 20% in Iraq
Iraq: 20.1% (2024) · Portugal: 28.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Portugal rate their lives 0.82 points higher than in Iraq
Iraq: 5.21 (2025) · Portugal: 6.03 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Portugal drink 23 times as much alcohol as in Iraq
Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023) · Portugal: 13.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Portugal has 4.7 times as much meat per person as Iraq
Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023) · Portugal: 99.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Portugal has 1,182 kcal more food per person per day than Iraq
Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023) · Portugal: 3,553 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Portugal put in 152 more hours a year than in Iraq
Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023) · Portugal: 1,735 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Portugal went to school 2.9 years longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 6.8 years (2023) · Portugal: 9.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iraq: no data · Portugal: 2.71 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Portugal has 11 more World Heritage sites than Iraq (17 against 6)
Iraq: 6 (2026) · Portugal: 17 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Portugal has won 32 Olympic medals, Iraq 1
Iraq: 1 (2026 edition) · Portugal: 32 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
88% of people in Portugal are online, versus 81% in Iraq
Iraq: 81% (2024) · Portugal: 88% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Portugal is 5.3 times as fast as in Iraq
Iraq: 62 Mbps (2026) · Portugal: 330 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iraq and Portugal are practically level
Iraq: 100% (2024) · Portugal: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
70% of people in Iraq live in cities, versus 61% in Portugal
Iraq: 70% (2025) · Portugal: 61% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Portugal has 124 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Iraq 100
Iraq: 100 (2024) · Portugal: 124 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Portugal’s railway network is 7% longer than Iraq’s
Iraq: 2,370 km (2014) · Portugal: 2,527 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Portugal fly 21 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iraq
Iraq: 0.08 (2023) · Portugal: 1.69 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 37% of Portugal, but only 1.6% of Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Portugal: 36.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iraq emits 49% more CO₂ than someone in Portugal
Iraq: 5.1 t (2024) · Portugal: 3.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
81% of Portugal’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Portugal: 81% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iraq carries 4.6 times as much fine dust as in Portugal
Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024) · Portugal: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Iraq: no data · Portugal: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iraq are 2.9 times as deadly as in Portugal
Iraq: 31.5 per 100k (2023) · Portugal: 11 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iraq is on average 8.0 °C warmer than Portugal
Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Portugal: 15.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Portugal gets 3.6 times as much rain as Iraq
Iraq: 214 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Portugal: 777 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iraq bigger than Portugal?
Iraq is larger. Portugal fits inside Iraq 4.7 times.
Which has more people, Iraq or Portugal?
Iraq has 4.4 times as many people as Portugal (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iraq or Portugal?
People in Portugal live 10 years longer than in Iraq. Life expectancy at birth is 72.4 years in Iraq and 82.4 in Portugal.
Are people taller in Iraq or Portugal?
Portugal and Iraq are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
