Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Iraq fits inside Saudi Arabia 4.9 times
Iraq: 435,050 km² (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 2,149,690 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Saudi Arabia’s coastline is 46 times as long as Iraq’s
Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition) · Saudi Arabia: 2,640 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iraq’s highest peak towers 611 m above Saudi Arabia’s
Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition) · Saudi Arabia: 3,000 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 82% of Saudi Arabia, versus 22% of Iraq
Iraq: 21.6% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 81.7% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iraq has 27% more people than Saudi Arabia
Iraq: 47 million (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 37 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iraq is 6.3 times as densely populated as Saudi Arabia
Iraq: 108 per km² (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 17 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iraq are 3.1 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia
Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019) · Saudi Arabia: 170.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Saudi Arabia and Iraq are practically level
Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019) · Saudi Arabia: 158.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Saudi Arabia is 8.9 years older than in Iraq
Iraq: 20.3 years (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 29.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iraq have 0.9 more children on average than in Saudi Arabia
Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 2.31 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Iraq and Saudi Arabia are practically level
Iraq: 3.4% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 3.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iraq hosts 566 times as many refugees per resident as Saudi Arabia
Iraq: 6.9 per 1,000 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 0.012 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Iraq has produced 0.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Saudi Arabia none
Iraq: 0.2 (2026) · Saudi Arabia: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iraq has 3 official languages, Saudi Arabia 1
Iraq: 3 (2026) · Saudi Arabia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Saudi Arabia’s economy is 5 times the size of Iraq’s
Iraq: $254 billion (2025) · Saudi Arabia: $1.28 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Saudi Arabia produces 5.2 times as much per person as Iraq
Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: Int$73,784 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Iraq: 29.8 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: no data
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Iraq: 0.5% (2023) · Saudi Arabia: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 3.0% in Saudi Arabia
Iraq: 15.5% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Saudi Arabia spends 6.5% of its GDP on the military, Iraq 2.4%
Iraq: 2.4% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 6.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Saudi Arabia’s central government collects 8.1% of GDP in tax, Iraq’s 1.3%
Iraq: 1.3% (2019) · Saudi Arabia: 8.1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Saudi Arabia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Iraq’s
Iraq: 38% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 47% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Saudi Arabia spends 5.5 times as much on health per person as Iraq
Iraq: $333 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: $1,825 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Saudi Arabia live 6.6 years longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 72.4 years (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 79 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iraq is 4.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in Saudi Arabia
Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Saudi Arabia has 3.3 times as many doctors per person as Iraq
Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022) · Saudi Arabia: 3.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Saudi Arabia has 2.3 times as many hospital beds per person as Iraq
Iraq: 1.1 per 1,000 (2018) · Saudi Arabia: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Iraq is 2.3 times that in Saudi Arabia
Iraq: 5.1 per 100k (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 2.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
39% of adults in Saudi Arabia are obese, versus 37% in Iraq
Iraq: 36.8% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 39.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Iraq smoke, versus 15% in Saudi Arabia
Iraq: 20.1% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 14.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Saudi Arabia rate their lives 1.61 points higher than in Iraq
Iraq: 5.21 (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023) · Saudi Arabia: no data
How much meat is on the menu?
Saudi Arabia has 2.8 times as much meat per person as Iraq
Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 58.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Saudi Arabia has 1,289 kcal more food per person per day than Iraq
Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 3,660 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Saudi Arabia put in 541 more hours a year than in Iraq
Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 2,125 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Saudi Arabia went to school 4.8 years longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 6.8 years (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iraq: no data · Saudi Arabia: 0.84 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Saudi Arabia has 2 more World Heritage sites than Iraq (8 against 6)
Iraq: 6 (2026) · Saudi Arabia: 8 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Saudi Arabia has won 4 Olympic medals, Iraq 1
Iraq: 1 (2026 edition) · Saudi Arabia: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in Saudi Arabia are online, versus 81% in Iraq
Iraq: 81% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Saudi Arabia is 3.2 times as fast as in Iraq
Iraq: 62 Mbps (2026) · Saudi Arabia: 196 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iraq and Saudi Arabia are practically level
Iraq: 100% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
85% of people in Saudi Arabia live in cities, versus 70% in Iraq
Iraq: 70% (2025) · Saudi Arabia: 85% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Saudi Arabia has 160 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Iraq 100
Iraq: 100 (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 160 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Saudi Arabia’s railway network is 24% longer than Iraq’s
Iraq: 2,370 km (2014) · Saudi Arabia: 2,939 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Saudi Arabia fly 16 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iraq
Iraq: 0.08 (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Iraq and Saudi Arabia are practically level
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 1.3% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Saudi Arabia emits 4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Iraq
Iraq: 5.1 t (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 20.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
2.2% of Saudi Arabia’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 2.2% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Saudi Arabia carries 3% more fine dust than in Iraq
Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024) · Saudi Arabia: 50.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Iraq: no data · Saudi Arabia: 0.9 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iraq are 47% deadlier than in Saudi Arabia
Iraq: 31.5 per 100k (2023) · Saudi Arabia: 21.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Saudi Arabia is on average 2.9 °C warmer than Iraq
Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Saudi Arabia: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Iraq gets 3.5 times as much rain as Saudi Arabia
Iraq: 214 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Saudi Arabia: 61 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iraq bigger than Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia is larger. Iraq fits inside Saudi Arabia 4.9 times.
Which has more people, Iraq or Saudi Arabia?
Iraq has 27% more people than Saudi Arabia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iraq or Saudi Arabia?
People in Saudi Arabia live 6.6 years longer than in Iraq. Life expectancy at birth is 72.4 years in Iraq and 79.0 in Saudi Arabia.
Are people taller in Iraq or Saudi Arabia?
Men in Iraq are 3.1 cm taller than in Saudi Arabia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
