Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Iraq fits inside Russia 39 times
Iraq: 435,050 km² (2024) · Russia: 17,125,200 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Russia’s coastline is 649 times as long as Iraq’s
Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition) · Russia: 37,653 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Russia’s highest peak towers 2,031 m above Iraq’s
Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition) · Russia: 5,642 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 22% of Iraq, versus 13% of Russia
Iraq: 21.6% (2024) · Russia: 13.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Russia has 3.1 times as many people as Iraq
Iraq: 47 million (2025) · Russia: 144 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iraq is 12 times as densely populated as Russia
Iraq: 108 per km² (2025) · Russia: 9 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Russia are 2.9 cm taller than in Iraq
Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019) · Russia: 176.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Russia are 5.8 cm taller than in Iraq
Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019) · Russia: 164.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Russia is 19 years older than in Iraq
Iraq: 20.3 years (2023) · Russia: 39.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iraq have 1.8 more children on average than in Russia
Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024) · Russia: 1.42 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in Russia are 65 or older, versus 3.4% in Iraq
Iraq: 3.4% (2025) · Russia: 17.8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iraq hosts 83 times as many refugees per resident as Russia
Iraq: 6.9 per 1,000 (2025) · Russia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Russia has produced 2.0 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iraq 0.2
Iraq: 0.2 (2026) · Russia: 2 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iraq has 3 official languages, Russia 1
Iraq: 3 (2026) · Russia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Russia’s economy is 10 times the size of Iraq’s
Iraq: $254 billion (2025) · Russia: $2.56 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Russia produces 3.5 times as much per person as Iraq
Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025) · Russia: Int$49,568 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Russia than in Iraq (Gini 3.2 points higher)
Iraq: 29.8 (2023) · Russia: 33 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Iraq and Russia are practically level
Iraq: 0.5% (2023) · Russia: 0.1% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 2.1% in Russia
Iraq: 15.5% (2025) · Russia: 2.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Russia spends 7.5% of its GDP on the military, Iraq 2.4%
Iraq: 2.4% (2025) · Russia: 7.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Russia’s central government collects 11% of GDP in tax, Iraq’s 1.3%
Iraq: 1.3% (2019) · Russia: 10.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Iraq’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Russia’s
Iraq: 38% (2025) · Russia: 35% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Russia spends 3 times as much on health per person as Iraq
Iraq: $333 (2023) · Russia: $1,003 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Russia live 1 year longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 72.4 years (2024) · Russia: 73.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iraq is 4.9 times as likely to die before turning one as in Russia
Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Russia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Russia has 5 times as many doctors per person as Iraq
Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022) · Russia: 5.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Russia has 6.4 times as many hospital beds per person as Iraq
Iraq: 1.1 per 1,000 (2018) · Russia: 6.8 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Russia is 3.9 times that in Iraq
Iraq: 5.1 per 100k (2023) · Russia: 19.8 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Iraq are obese, versus 21% in Russia
Iraq: 36.8% (2024) · Russia: 21.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
27% of adults in Russia smoke, versus 20% in Iraq
Iraq: 20.1% (2024) · Russia: 27% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Russia rate their lives 0.62 points higher than in Iraq
Iraq: 5.21 (2025) · Russia: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Russia drink 17 times as much alcohol as in Iraq
Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023) · Russia: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Russia has 4 times as much meat per person as Iraq
Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023) · Russia: 84.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Russia has 1,158 kcal more food per person per day than Iraq
Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023) · Russia: 3,528 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Russia put in 503 more hours a year than in Iraq
Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023) · Russia: 2,087 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Russia went to school 5.6 years longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 6.8 years (2023) · Russia: 12.4 years (2023)
How many World Heritage sites?
Russia has 27 more World Heritage sites than Iraq (33 against 6)
Iraq: 6 (2026) · Russia: 33 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Russia has won 539 Olympic medals, Iraq 1
Iraq: 1 (2026 edition) · Russia: 539 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in Russia are online, versus 81% in Iraq
Iraq: 81% (2024) · Russia: 94% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Iraq: 62 Mbps (2026) · Russia: no data
Who has electricity at home?
Iraq and Russia are practically level
Iraq: 100% (2024) · Russia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
75% of people in Russia live in cities, versus 70% in Iraq
Iraq: 70% (2025) · Russia: 75% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Russia has 186 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Iraq 100
Iraq: 100 (2024) · Russia: 186 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Russia’s railway network is 36 times as long as Iraq’s
Iraq: 2,370 km (2014) · Russia: 85,544 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Russia fly 8.6 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iraq
Iraq: 0.08 (2023) · Russia: 0.69 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 51% of Russia, but only 1.6% of Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Russia: 50.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Russia emits 2.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Iraq
Iraq: 5.1 t (2024) · Russia: 12.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
17% of Russia’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Russia: 17.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iraq carries 3.8 times as much fine dust as in Russia
Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024) · Russia: 12.9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Iraq: no data · Russia: 7.8 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iraq are 2.4 times as deadly as in Russia
Iraq: 31.5 per 100k (2023) · Russia: 13.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iraq is on average 26.5 °C warmer than Russia
Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Russia: -2.6°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Russia gets 2.7 times as much rain as Iraq
Iraq: 214 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Russia: 586 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iraq bigger than Russia?
Russia is larger. Iraq fits inside Russia 39 times.
Which has more people, Iraq or Russia?
Russia has 3.1 times as many people as Iraq (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iraq or Russia?
People in Russia live 1 year longer than in Iraq. Life expectancy at birth is 72.4 years in Iraq and 73.4 in Russia.
Are people taller in Iraq or Russia?
Men in Russia are 2.9 cm taller than in Iraq (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
