The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside Iraq 4.4 times.
Iraq: 435,050 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Arab Emirates’ coastline is 23 times as long as Iraq’s.
Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iraq’s highest peak towers 1,706 m above the United Arab Emirates’.
Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Iraq has 4.1 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates.
Iraq: 47 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 50% more densely populated than Iraq.
Iraq: 108 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
The United Arab Emirates and Iraq are practically level.
Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Arab Emirates are 1.8 cm taller than in Iraq.
Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Arab Emirates is 11 years older than in Iraq.
Iraq: 20.3 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iraq have 2.0 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates.
Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
3.4% of people in Iraq are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Iraq: 3.4% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Iraq has produced 0.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates none.
Iraq: 0.2 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Iraq has 3 official languages, the United Arab Emirates 1.
Iraq: 3 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Arab Emirates’ economy is 2.2 times the size of Iraq’s.
Iraq: $254 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 5.6 times as much per person as Iraq.
Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Iraq than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 3.4 points higher).
Iraq: 29.8 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates.
Iraq: 15.5% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 2.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Arab Emirates spends 5.6% of its GDP on the military, Iraq 2.4%.
Iraq: 2.4% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
The United Arab Emirates’ price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Iraq’s.
Iraq: 38% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Arab Emirates spends 7.2 times as much on health per person as Iraq.
Iraq: $333 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 11 years longer than in Iraq.
Iraq: 72.4 years (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iraq is 5.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United Arab Emirates.
Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Arab Emirates has 2.9 times as many doctors per person as Iraq.
Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Iraq are obese, versus 30% in the United Arab Emirates.
Iraq: 36.8% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Iraq smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
Iraq: 20.1% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United Arab Emirates rate their lives 1.61 points higher than in Iraq.
Iraq: 5.21 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Arab Emirates drink 5% more alcohol than in Iraq.
Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Arab Emirates has 3.2 times as much meat per person as Iraq.
Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Arab Emirates has 755 kcal more food per person per day than Iraq.
Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 931 more hours a year than in Iraq.
Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 2,514 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Arab Emirates went to school 6.2 years longer than in Iraq.
Iraq: 6.8 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iraq: no data · United Arab Emirates: 2.28 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in the United Arab Emirates are online, versus 81% in Iraq.
Iraq: 81% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Iraq and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Iraq: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 70% in Iraq.
Iraq: 70% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Iraq 100.
Iraq: 100 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iraq’s railway network is 8.5 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Iraq: 2,370 km (2014) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 99 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iraq.
Iraq: 0.08 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates, but only 1.9% of Iraq.
Iraq: 1.9% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Iraq.
Iraq: 5.1 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
8.8% of the United Arab Emirates’ electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq.
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 14% more fine dust than in Iraq.
Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Iraq: no data · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iraq are 3.6 times as deadly as in the United Arab Emirates.
Iraq: 21.5 per 100k (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 5.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United Arab Emirates is on average 4.9 °C warmer than Iraq.
Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Iraq gets 4.5 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
Iraq: 214 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Iraq bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
Iraq is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside Iraq 4.4 times.
Which has more people, Iraq or the United Arab Emirates?
Iraq has 4.1 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iraq or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 11 years longer than in Iraq. Life expectancy at birth is 72.4 years in Iraq and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Iraq or the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates and Iraq are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
