Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Iraq is 82% bigger than Romania
Iraq: 435,050 km² (2024) · Romania: 238,397 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Romania’s coastline is 3.9 times as long as Iraq’s
Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition) · Romania: 225 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iraq’s highest peak towers 1,067 m above Romania’s
Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition) · Romania: 2,544 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 55% of Romania, versus 22% of Iraq
Iraq: 21.6% (2024) · Romania: 55.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iraq has 2.5 times as many people as Romania
Iraq: 47 million (2025) · Romania: 19 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iraq is 31% more densely populated than Romania
Iraq: 108 per km² (2025) · Romania: 83 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Romania are 4.0 cm taller than in Iraq
Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019) · Romania: 177.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Romania are 6.0 cm taller than in Iraq
Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019) · Romania: 164.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Romania is 22 years older than in Iraq
Iraq: 20.3 years (2023) · Romania: 42.6 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iraq have 1.8 more children on average than in Romania
Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024) · Romania: 1.39 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Romania are 65 or older, versus 3.4% in Iraq
Iraq: 3.4% (2025) · Romania: 20.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Romania hosts 59% more refugees per resident than Iraq
Iraq: 6.9 per 1,000 (2025) · Romania: 10.9 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Romania has produced 2.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iraq 0.2
Iraq: 0.2 (2026) · Romania: 2.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iraq has 3 official languages, Romania 1
Iraq: 3 (2026) · Romania: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Romania’s economy is 69% larger than Iraq’s
Iraq: $254 billion (2025) · Romania: $429 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Romania produces 3.6 times as much per person as Iraq
Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025) · Romania: Int$50,895 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Iraq and Romania are practically level
Iraq: 29.8 (2023) · Romania: 29.8 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Romania and Iraq are practically level
Iraq: 0.5% (2023) · Romania: 0.7% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 6.0% in Romania
Iraq: 15.5% (2025) · Romania: 6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iraq and Romania are practically level
Iraq: 2.4% (2025) · Romania: 2.3% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Romania’s central government collects 16% of GDP in tax, Iraq’s 1.3%
Iraq: 1.3% (2019) · Romania: 16.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Romania’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Iraq’s
Iraq: 38% (2025) · Romania: 44% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Romania spends 3.2 times as much on health per person as Iraq
Iraq: $333 (2023) · Romania: $1,051 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Romania live 4 years longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 72.4 years (2024) · Romania: 76.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iraq is 3.4 times as likely to die before turning one as in Romania
Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Romania: 6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Romania has 3.5 times as many doctors per person as Iraq
Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022) · Romania: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Romania has 6.8 times as many hospital beds per person as Iraq
Iraq: 1.1 per 1,000 (2018) · Romania: 7.2 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Romania is 61% higher than in Iraq
Iraq: 5.1 per 100k (2023) · Romania: 8.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
38% of adults in Romania are obese, versus 37% in Iraq
Iraq: 36.8% (2024) · Romania: 37.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in Romania smoke, versus 20% in Iraq
Iraq: 20.1% (2024) · Romania: 29.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Romania rate their lives 1.42 points higher than in Iraq
Iraq: 5.21 (2025) · Romania: 6.63 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Romania drink 28 times as much alcohol as in Iraq
Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023) · Romania: 17.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Romania has 3.4 times as much meat per person as Iraq
Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023) · Romania: 72.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Romania has 1,278 kcal more food per person per day than Iraq
Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023) · Romania: 3,649 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Romania put in 243 more hours a year than in Iraq
Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023) · Romania: 1,826 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Romania went to school 4.8 years longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 6.8 years (2023) · Romania: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iraq: no data · Romania: 0.7 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Romania has 5 more World Heritage sites than Iraq (11 against 6)
Iraq: 6 (2026) · Romania: 11 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Romania has won 318 Olympic medals, Iraq 1
Iraq: 1 (2026 edition) · Romania: 318 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
91% of people in Romania are online, versus 81% in Iraq
Iraq: 81% (2024) · Romania: 91% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Romania is 5.1 times as fast as in Iraq
Iraq: 62 Mbps (2026) · Romania: 316 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iraq and Romania are practically level
Iraq: 100% (2024) · Romania: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
70% of people in Iraq live in cities, versus 52% in Romania
Iraq: 70% (2025) · Romania: 52% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Romania has 120 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Iraq 100
Iraq: 100 (2024) · Romania: 120 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Romania’s railway network is 4.5 times as long as Iraq’s
Iraq: 2,370 km (2014) · Romania: 10,769 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Romania fly 85% more passengers per resident than those from Iraq
Iraq: 0.08 (2023) · Romania: 0.15 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 30% of Romania, but only 1.6% of Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Romania: 30.2% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iraq emits 41% more CO₂ than someone in Romania
Iraq: 5.1 t (2024) · Romania: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
47% of Romania’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Romania: 47% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iraq carries 3.4 times as much fine dust as in Romania
Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024) · Romania: 14.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Iraq: no data · Romania: 1.1 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iraq are 2.3 times as deadly as in Romania
Iraq: 31.5 per 100k (2023) · Romania: 13.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iraq is on average 12.9 °C warmer than Romania
Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 11°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Romania gets 3.6 times as much rain as Iraq
Iraq: 214 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 758 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iraq bigger than Romania?
Iraq is larger. Iraq is 82% bigger than Romania.
Which has more people, Iraq or Romania?
Iraq has 2.5 times as many people as Romania (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iraq or Romania?
People in Romania live 4 years longer than in Iraq. Life expectancy at birth is 72.4 years in Iraq and 76.5 in Romania.
Are people taller in Iraq or Romania?
Men in Romania are 4.0 cm taller than in Iraq (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
