Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sweden is 22% bigger than Iraq
Iraq: 435,050 km² (2024) · Sweden: 528,860 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Sweden’s coastline is 55 times as long as Iraq’s
Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition) · Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iraq’s highest peak towers 1,511 m above Sweden’s
Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition) · Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 22% of Iraq, versus 7.3% of Sweden
Iraq: 21.6% (2024) · Sweden: 7.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iraq has 4.4 times as many people as Sweden
Iraq: 47 million (2025) · Sweden: 10.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iraq is 4.2 times as densely populated as Sweden
Iraq: 108 per km² (2025) · Sweden: 26 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sweden are 6.7 cm taller than in Iraq
Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019) · Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sweden are 7.9 cm taller than in Iraq
Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019) · Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sweden is 20 years older than in Iraq
Iraq: 20.3 years (2023) · Sweden: 39.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iraq have 1.8 more children on average than in Sweden
Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024) · Sweden: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Sweden are 65 or older, versus 3.4% in Iraq
Iraq: 3.4% (2025) · Sweden: 20.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Sweden hosts 2 times as many refugees per resident as Iraq
Iraq: 6.9 per 1,000 (2025) · Sweden: 13.6 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sweden has produced 28.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iraq 0.2
Iraq: 0.2 (2026) · Sweden: 28.3 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iraq has 3 official languages, Sweden 1
Iraq: 3 (2026) · Sweden: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Sweden’s economy is 2.6 times the size of Iraq’s
Iraq: $254 billion (2025) · Sweden: $669 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sweden produces 5.1 times as much per person as Iraq
Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025) · Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iraq than in Sweden (Gini 0.5 points higher)
Iraq: 29.8 (2023) · Sweden: 29.3 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Sweden and Iraq are practically level
Iraq: 0.5% (2023) · Sweden: 0.8% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 8.7% in Sweden
Iraq: 15.5% (2025) · Sweden: 8.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sweden and Iraq are practically level
Iraq: 2.4% (2025) · Sweden: 2.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Sweden’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, Iraq’s 1.3%
Iraq: 1.3% (2019) · Sweden: 27.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Sweden’s price level (US = 100) is 2.3× Iraq’s
Iraq: 38% (2025) · Sweden: 87% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sweden spends 19 times as much on health per person as Iraq
Iraq: $333 (2023) · Sweden: $6,485 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 12 years longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 72.4 years (2024) · Sweden: 84.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iraq is 10 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sweden
Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sweden has 4.3 times as many doctors per person as Iraq
Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022) · Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Sweden has 79% more hospital beds per person than Iraq
Iraq: 1.1 per 1,000 (2018) · Sweden: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Sweden is 2.5 times that in Iraq
Iraq: 5.1 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Iraq are obese, versus 19% in Sweden
Iraq: 36.8% (2024) · Sweden: 18.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Sweden and Iraq are practically level
Iraq: 20.1% (2024) · Sweden: 20.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sweden rate their lives 2.04 points higher than in Iraq
Iraq: 5.21 (2025) · Sweden: 7.26 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sweden drink 14 times as much alcohol as in Iraq
Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023) · Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Sweden has 3.2 times as much meat per person as Iraq
Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023) · Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Sweden has 996 kcal more food per person per day than Iraq
Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023) · Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iraq put in 152 more hours a year than in Sweden
Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023) · Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sweden went to school 6 years longer than in Iraq
Iraq: 6.8 years (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iraq: no data · Sweden: 0.63 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Sweden has 9 more World Heritage sites than Iraq (15 against 6)
Iraq: 6 (2026) · Sweden: 15 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Sweden has won 709 Olympic medals, Iraq 1
Iraq: 1 (2026 edition) · Sweden: 709 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Sweden are online, versus 81% in Iraq
Iraq: 81% (2024) · Sweden: 96% (2025)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Sweden is 4 times as fast as in Iraq
Iraq: 62 Mbps (2026) · Sweden: 248 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Iraq and Sweden are practically level
Iraq: 100% (2024) · Sweden: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 70% in Iraq
Iraq: 70% (2025) · Sweden: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sweden has 141 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Iraq 100
Iraq: 100 (2024) · Sweden: 141 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Sweden’s railway network is 4.1 times as long as Iraq’s
Iraq: 2,370 km (2014) · Sweden: 9,714 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sweden fly 23 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iraq
Iraq: 0.08 (2023) · Sweden: 1.85 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 1.6% of Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Sweden: 68.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iraq emits 41% more CO₂ than someone in Sweden
Iraq: 5.1 t (2024) · Sweden: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
71% of Sweden’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Sweden: 71.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iraq carries 8.6 times as much fine dust as in Sweden
Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024) · Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Iraq: no data · Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iraq are 9.3 times as deadly as in Sweden
Iraq: 31.5 per 100k (2023) · Sweden: 3.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iraq is on average 19.6 °C warmer than Sweden
Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sweden gets 3.8 times as much rain as Iraq
Iraq: 214 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 801 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iraq bigger than Sweden?
Sweden is larger. Sweden is 22% bigger than Iraq.
Which has more people, Iraq or Sweden?
Iraq has 4.4 times as many people as Sweden (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iraq or Sweden?
People in Sweden live 12 years longer than in Iraq. Life expectancy at birth is 72.4 years in Iraq and 84.1 in Sweden.
Are people taller in Iraq or Sweden?
Men in Sweden are 6.7 cm taller than in Iraq (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
