Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Iraq fits inside Sudan 4.3 times
Iraq: 435,050 km² (2024) · Sudan: 1,878,000 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Sudan’s coastline is 15 times as long as Iraq’s
Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition) · Sudan: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iraq’s highest peak towers 569 m above Sudan’s
Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition) · Sudan: 3,042 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 60% of Sudan, versus 22% of Iraq
Iraq: 21.6% (2024) · Sudan: 60.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Sudan has 10% more people than Iraq
Iraq: 47 million (2025) · Sudan: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iraq is 3.9 times as densely populated as Sudan
Iraq: 108 per km² (2025) · Sudan: 28 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iraq are 1.7 cm taller than in Sudan
Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019) · Sudan: 172.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sudan are 1.6 cm taller than in Iraq
Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019) · Sudan: 160.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iraq is 2.1 years older than in Sudan
Iraq: 20.3 years (2023) · Sudan: 18.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sudan have 1.0 more children on average than in Iraq
Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024) · Sudan: 4.26 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Iraq and Sudan are practically level
Iraq: 3.4% (2025) · Sudan: 3.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Sudan hosts 2.3 times as many refugees per resident as Iraq
Iraq: 6.9 per 1,000 (2025) · Sudan: 15.7 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Iraq has produced 0.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sudan none
Iraq: 0.2 (2026) · Sudan: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iraq has 3 official languages, Sudan 2
Iraq: 3 (2026) · Sudan: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Iraq’s economy is 4.2 times the size of Sudan’s
Iraq: $254 billion (2025) · Sudan: $60.2 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Iraq produces 6.5 times as much per person as Sudan
Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025) · Sudan: Int$2,192 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sudan than in Iraq (Gini 4.4 points higher)
Iraq: 29.8 (2023) · Sudan: 34.2 (2014)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Iraq: 0.5% (2023) · Sudan: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 7.5% in Sudan
Iraq: 15.5% (2025) · Sudan: 7.5% (2022)
How much goes to the military?
Iraq spends 2.4% of its GDP on the military, Sudan 0.9%
Iraq: 2.4% (2025) · Sudan: 0.9% (2021)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Sudan’s central government collects 7.4% of GDP in tax, Iraq’s 1.3%
Iraq: 1.3% (2019) · Sudan: 7.4% (2016)
How expensive is it?
Sudan’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Iraq’s
Iraq: 38% (2025) · Sudan: 53% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Iraq spends 16 times as much on health per person as Sudan
Iraq: $333 (2023) · Sudan: $21 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Iraq live 5.9 years longer than in Sudan
Iraq: 72.4 years (2024) · Sudan: 66.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Sudan is 2.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Iraq
Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Sudan: 42.9 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Iraq has 4.1 times as many doctors per person as Sudan
Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022) · Sudan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2017)
How many hospital beds are there?
Iraq has 61% more hospital beds per person than Sudan
Iraq: 1.1 per 1,000 (2018) · Sudan: 0.7 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Iraq is 38% higher than in Sudan
Iraq: 5.1 per 100k (2023) · Sudan: 3.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Iraq are obese, versus 16% in Sudan
Iraq: 36.8% (2024) · Sudan: 16.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Iraq: 20.1% (2024) · Sudan: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Iraq rate their lives 1.07 points higher than in Sudan
Iraq: 5.21 (2025) · Sudan: 4.14 (2017)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sudan drink 2.3 times as much alcohol as in Iraq
Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023) · Sudan: 1.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Iraq has 15% more meat per person than Sudan
Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023) · Sudan: 18.4 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
Sudan has 143 kcal more food per person per day than Iraq
Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023) · Sudan: 2,513 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sudan put in 1,075 more hours a year than in Iraq
Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023) · Sudan: 2,658 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Iraq went to school 2.8 years longer than in Sudan
Iraq: 6.8 years (2023) · Sudan: 4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iraq: no data · Sudan: 0.02 (2018)
How many World Heritage sites?
Iraq has 3 more World Heritage sites than Sudan (6 against 3)
Iraq: 6 (2026) · Sudan: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Iraq and Sudan are practically level
Iraq: 1 (2026 edition) · Sudan: 1 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
81% of people in Iraq are online, versus 19% in Sudan
Iraq: 81% (2024) · Sudan: 19% (2017)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Sudan is 28% faster than in Iraq
Iraq: 62 Mbps (2026) · Sudan: 79 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Iraq have electricity, versus 66% in Sudan
Iraq: 100% (2024) · Sudan: 66% (2024)
How many live in cities?
70% of people in Iraq live in cities, versus 35% in Sudan
Iraq: 70% (2025) · Sudan: 35% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iraq has 100 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sudan 70
Iraq: 100 (2024) · Sudan: 70 (2022)
How much railway is there?
Sudan’s railway network is 16% longer than Iraq’s
Iraq: 2,370 km (2014) · Sudan: 2,747 km (2020)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Iraq fly 4.5 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sudan
Iraq: 0.08 (2023) · Sudan: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 12% of Sudan, but only 1.6% of Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Sudan: 11.9% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iraq emits 14 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sudan
Iraq: 5.1 t (2024) · Sudan: 0.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
80% of Sudan’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Sudan: 79.7% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iraq carries 69% more fine dust than in Sudan
Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024) · Sudan: 28.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iraq are 12% deadlier than in Sudan
Iraq: 31.5 per 100k (2023) · Sudan: 28.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Sudan is on average 3.8 °C warmer than Iraq
Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sudan: 27.7°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Iraq gets 25% more rain than Sudan
Iraq: 214 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sudan: 171 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iraq bigger than Sudan?
Sudan is larger. Iraq fits inside Sudan 4.3 times.
Which has more people, Iraq or Sudan?
Sudan has 10% more people than Iraq (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iraq or Sudan?
People in Iraq live 5.9 years longer than in Sudan. Life expectancy at birth is 72.4 years in Iraq and 66.5 in Sudan.
Are people taller in Iraq or Sudan?
Men in Iraq are 1.7 cm taller than in Sudan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
