Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Syria fits inside Iraq 2.3 times
Iraq: 435,050 km² (2024) · Syria: 185,180 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Syria’s coastline is 3.3 times as long as Iraq’s
Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition) · Syria: 193 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iraq’s highest peak towers 797 m above Syria’s
Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition) · Syria: 2,814 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 74% of Syria, versus 22% of Iraq
Iraq: 21.6% (2024) · Syria: 74.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iraq has 84% more people than Syria
Iraq: 47 million (2025) · Syria: 25.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Syria is 29% more densely populated than Iraq
Iraq: 108 per km² (2025) · Syria: 140 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iraq are 2.2 cm taller than in Syria
Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019) · Syria: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Syria and Iraq are practically level
Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019) · Syria: 159.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Syria is 1.9 years older than in Iraq
Iraq: 20.3 years (2023) · Syria: 22.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iraq have 0.5 more children on average than in Syria
Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024) · Syria: 2.7 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
4.8% of people in Syria are 65 or older, versus 3.4% in Iraq
Iraq: 3.4% (2025) · Syria: 4.8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iraq hosts 18 times as many refugees per resident as Syria
Iraq: 6.9 per 1,000 (2025) · Syria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Iraq has produced 0.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Syria none
Iraq: 0.2 (2026) · Syria: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Iraq has 3 official languages, Syria 1
Iraq: 3 (2026) · Syria: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Iraq’s economy is 11 times the size of Syria’s
Iraq: $254 billion (2025) · Syria: $23.7 billion (2022)
How much is produced per person?
Iraq produces 2.9 times as much per person as Syria
Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025) · Syria: Int$4,905 (2022)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iraq than in Syria (Gini 3.4 points higher)
Iraq: 29.8 (2023) · Syria: 26.4 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
18% of people in Syria live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.5% in Iraq
Iraq: 0.5% (2023) · Syria: 18% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 14% in Syria
Iraq: 15.5% (2025) · Syria: 13.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iraq: 2.4% (2025) · Syria: no data
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Iraq: 1.3% (2019) · Syria: no data
How expensive is it?
Iraq’s price level (US = 100) is 1.8× Syria’s
Iraq: 38% (2025) · Syria: 22% (2022)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Iraq spends 10 times as much on health per person as Syria
Iraq: $333 (2023) · Syria: $33 (2023)
How long do people live?
Syria and Iraq are practically level
Iraq: 72.4 years (2024) · Syria: 72.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iraq is 14% more likely to die before turning one than in Syria
Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Syria: 17.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Syria has 49% more doctors per person than Iraq
Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022) · Syria: 1.5 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Syria has 35% more hospital beds per person than Iraq
Iraq: 1.1 per 1,000 (2018) · Syria: 1.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Iraq is 3.6 times that in Syria
Iraq: 5.1 per 100k (2023) · Syria: 1.4 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Iraq are obese, versus 30% in Syria
Iraq: 36.8% (2024) · Syria: 29.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Iraq: 20.1% (2024) · Syria: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Iraq rate their lives 1.75 points higher than in Syria
Iraq: 5.21 (2025) · Syria: 3.46 (2018)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Iraq drink 5.6 times as much alcohol as in Syria
Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023) · Syria: 0.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Iraq has 30% more meat per person than Syria
Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023) · Syria: 16.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Iraq has 111 kcal more food per person per day than Syria
Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023) · Syria: 2,259 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Syria put in 37 more hours a year than in Iraq
Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023) · Syria: 1,621 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Iraq went to school 0.84 years longer than in Syria
Iraq: 6.8 years (2023) · Syria: 5.9 years (2023)
How many World Heritage sites?
Iraq and Syria are practically level
Iraq: 6 (2026) · Syria: 6 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Syria has won 4 Olympic medals, Iraq 1
Iraq: 1 (2026 edition) · Syria: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
81% of people in Iraq are online, versus 34% in Syria
Iraq: 81% (2024) · Syria: 34% (2018)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Iraq is 88% faster than in Syria
Iraq: 62 Mbps (2026) · Syria: 33 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Iraq have electricity, versus 89% in Syria
Iraq: 100% (2024) · Syria: 89.3% (2024)
How many live in cities?
72% of people in Syria live in cities, versus 70% in Iraq
Iraq: 70% (2025) · Syria: 72% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iraq has 100 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Syria 71
Iraq: 100 (2024) · Syria: 71 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iraq’s railway network is 11% longer than Syria’s
Iraq: 2,370 km (2014) · Syria: 2,139 km (2010)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Iraq fly 3.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from Syria
Iraq: 0.08 (2023) · Syria: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 2.9% of Syria, but only 1.6% of Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Syria: 2.9% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iraq emits 3.9 times as much CO₂ as someone in Syria
Iraq: 5.1 t (2024) · Syria: 1.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
3.5% of Syria’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · Syria: 3.5% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iraq carries 58% more fine dust than in Syria
Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024) · Syria: 30.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Syria are 55% deadlier than in Iraq
Iraq: 31.5 per 100k (2023) · Syria: 48.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iraq is on average 3.8 °C warmer than Syria
Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Syria: 20.1°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Syria and Iraq are nearly identical here
Iraq: 214 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Syria: 216 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Iraq bigger than Syria?
Iraq is larger. Syria fits inside Iraq 2.3 times.
Which has more people, Iraq or Syria?
Iraq has 84% more people than Syria (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iraq or Syria?
Syria and Iraq are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 72.4 years in Iraq and 72.6 in Syria.
Are people taller in Iraq or Syria?
Men in Iraq are 2.2 cm taller than in Syria (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
