Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Spain is 16% bigger than Iraq
Iraq: 435,050 km² (2024) · Spain: 505,981 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Spain’s coastline is 86 times as long as Iraq’s
Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition) · Spain: 4,964 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Spain’s highest peak towers 107 m above Iraq’s
Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition) · Spain: 3,718 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 49% of Spain, versus 22% of Iraq
Iraq: 21.6% (2024) · Spain: 49.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Spain has 5% more people than Iraq
Iraq: 47 million (2025) · Spain: 49.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iraq is 10% more densely populated than Spain
Iraq: 108 per km² (2025) · Spain: 99 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Spain are 2.3 cm taller than in Iraq
Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019) · Spain: 176.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Spain are 3.3 cm taller than in Iraq
Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019) · Spain: 162 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Spain is 25 years older than in Iraq
Iraq: 20.3 years (2023) · Spain: 44.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iraq have 2.1 more children on average than in Spain
Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024) · Spain: 1.1 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
22% of people in Spain are 65 or older, versus 3.4% in Iraq
Iraq: 3.4% (2025) · Spain: 21.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Spain hosts 51% more refugees per resident than Iraq
Iraq: 6.9 per 1,000 (2025) · Spain: 10.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Spain has produced 1.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iraq 0.2
Iraq: 0.2 (2026) · Spain: 1.4 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iraq has 3 official languages, Spain 1
Iraq: 3 (2026) · Spain: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Spain’s economy is 7.5 times the size of Iraq’s
Iraq: $254 billion (2025) · Spain: $1.91 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Spain produces 4.2 times as much per person as Iraq
Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025) · Spain: Int$59,868 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Spain than in Iraq (Gini 3.6 points higher)
Iraq: 29.8 (2023) · Spain: 33.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Spain and Iraq are practically level
Iraq: 0.5% (2023) · Spain: 0.8% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 10% in Spain
Iraq: 15.5% (2025) · Spain: 10.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iraq and Spain are practically level
Iraq: 2.4% (2025) · Spain: 2.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Spain’s central government collects 15% of GDP in tax, Iraq’s 1.3%
Iraq: 1.3% (2019) · Spain: 14.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Spain’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Iraq’s
Iraq: 38% (2025) · Spain: 65% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Spain spends 9.3 times as much on health per person as Iraq
Iraq: $333 (2023) · Spain: $3,107 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Spain live 11 years longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 72.4 years (2024) · Spain: 83.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iraq is 7.7 times as likely to die before turning one as in Spain
Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Spain: 2.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Spain has 4.2 times as many doctors per person as Iraq
Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022) · Spain: 4.3 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Spain has 2.7 times as many hospital beds per person as Iraq
Iraq: 1.1 per 1,000 (2018) · Spain: 2.9 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Spain is 39% higher than in Iraq
Iraq: 5.1 per 100k (2023) · Spain: 7.1 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Iraq are obese, versus 19% in Spain
Iraq: 36.8% (2024) · Spain: 18.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
28% of adults in Spain smoke, versus 20% in Iraq
Iraq: 20.1% (2024) · Spain: 27.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Spain rate their lives 1.33 points higher than in Iraq
Iraq: 5.21 (2025) · Spain: 6.54 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Spain drink 20 times as much alcohol as in Iraq
Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023) · Spain: 12.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Spain has 4.8 times as much meat per person as Iraq
Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023) · Spain: 100.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Spain has 1,007 kcal more food per person per day than Iraq
Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023) · Spain: 3,377 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Spain put in 55 more hours a year than in Iraq
Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023) · Spain: 1,638 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Spain went to school 4 years longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 6.8 years (2023) · Spain: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iraq: no data · Spain: 1.92 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Spain has 44 more World Heritage sites than Iraq (50 against 6)
Iraq: 6 (2026) · Spain: 50 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Spain has won 195 Olympic medals, Iraq 1
Iraq: 1 (2026 edition) · Spain: 195 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Spain are online, versus 81% in Iraq
Iraq: 81% (2024) · Spain: 96% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Spain is 5.2 times as fast as in Iraq
Iraq: 62 Mbps (2026) · Spain: 324 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iraq and Spain are practically level
Iraq: 100% (2024) · Spain: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in Spain live in cities, versus 70% in Iraq
Iraq: 70% (2025) · Spain: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Spain has 130 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Iraq 100
Iraq: 100 (2024) · Spain: 130 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Spain’s railway network is 6.7 times as long as Iraq’s
Iraq: 2,370 km (2014) · Spain: 15,963 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Spain fly 24 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iraq
Iraq: 0.08 (2023) · Spain: 1.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 38% of Spain, but only 1.6% of Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Spain: 38.2% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iraq emits 10% more CO₂ than someone in Spain
Iraq: 5.1 t (2024) · Spain: 4.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
56% of Spain’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Spain: 55.9% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iraq carries 4.9 times as much fine dust as in Spain
Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024) · Spain: 10 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Iraq: no data · Spain: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iraq are 5.1 times as deadly as in Spain
Iraq: 31.5 per 100k (2023) · Spain: 6.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iraq is on average 9.1 °C warmer than Spain
Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Spain: 14.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Spain gets 3.1 times as much rain as Iraq
Iraq: 214 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Spain: 665 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iraq bigger than Spain?
Spain is larger. Spain is 16% bigger than Iraq.
Which has more people, Iraq or Spain?
Spain has 5% more people than Iraq (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iraq or Spain?
People in Spain live 11 years longer than in Iraq. Life expectancy at birth is 72.4 years in Iraq and 83.9 in Spain.
Are people taller in Iraq or Spain?
Men in Spain are 2.3 cm taller than in Iraq (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
