Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Iraq is 79% bigger than the United Kingdom.
Iraq: 435,050 km² (2023) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Kingdom’s coastline is 214 times as long as Iraq’s.
Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iraq’s highest peak towers 2,266 m above the United Kingdom’s.
Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Kingdom has 48% more people than Iraq.
Iraq: 47 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Kingdom is 2.7 times as densely populated as Iraq.
Iraq: 108 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Kingdom are 4.4 cm taller than in Iraq.
Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Kingdom are 5.2 cm taller than in Iraq.
Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Kingdom is 19 years older than in Iraq.
Iraq: 20.3 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iraq have 1.7 more children on average than in the United Kingdom.
Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in the United Kingdom are 65 or older, versus 3.4% in Iraq.
Iraq: 3.4% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iraq 0.2.
Iraq: 0.2 (2025) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2025)
How many official languages?
Iraq has 3 official languages, the United Kingdom 1.
Iraq: 3 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 16 times the size of Iraq’s.
Iraq: $254 billion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United Kingdom produces 4.5 times as much per person as Iraq.
Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United Kingdom than in Iraq (Gini 2.6 points higher).
Iraq: 29.8 (2023) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 4.7% in the United Kingdom.
Iraq: 15.5% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iraq and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Iraq: 2.4% (2024) · United Kingdom: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 2.4× Iraq’s.
Iraq: 38% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Kingdom spends 18 times as much on health per person as Iraq.
Iraq: $333 (2023) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the United Kingdom live 9 years longer than in Iraq.
Iraq: 72.4 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iraq is 4.9 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United Kingdom.
Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Kingdom has 3.2 times as many doctors per person as Iraq.
Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Iraq are obese, versus 29% in the United Kingdom.
Iraq: 36.8% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Iraq smoke, versus 13% in the United Kingdom.
Iraq: 20.1% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United Kingdom rate their lives 1.48 points higher than in Iraq.
Iraq: 5.21 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Kingdom drink 17 times as much alcohol as in Iraq.
Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Kingdom has 4 times as much meat per person as Iraq.
Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Kingdom has 1,064 kcal more food per person per day than Iraq.
Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iraq put in 60 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom.
Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 6.7 years longer than in Iraq.
Iraq: 6.8 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iraq: no data · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United Kingdom are online, versus 81% in Iraq.
Iraq: 81% (2024) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Iraq and the United Kingdom are practically level.
Iraq: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in the United Kingdom live in cities, versus 70% in Iraq.
Iraq: 70% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Kingdom has 122 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Iraq 100.
Iraq: 100 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United Kingdom’s railway network is 6.8 times as long as Iraq’s.
Iraq: 2,370 km (2014) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Kingdom fly 21 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iraq.
Iraq: 0.08 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 13% of the United Kingdom, but only 1.9% of Iraq.
Iraq: 1.9% (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.3% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iraq emits 12% more CO₂ than someone in the United Kingdom.
Iraq: 5.1 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
52% of the United Kingdom’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq.
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iraq carries 5.5 times as much fine dust as in the United Kingdom.
Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Iraq: no data · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iraq are 9 times as deadly as in the United Kingdom.
Iraq: 21.5 per 100k (2021) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iraq is on average 14.0 °C warmer than the United Kingdom.
Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United Kingdom gets 5 times as much rain as Iraq.
Iraq: 214 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Iraq bigger than the United Kingdom?
Iraq is larger. Iraq is 79% bigger than the United Kingdom.
Which has more people, Iraq or the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom has 48% more people than Iraq (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iraq or the United Kingdom?
People in the United Kingdom live 9 years longer than in Iraq. Life expectancy at birth is 72.4 years in Iraq and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in Iraq or the United Kingdom?
Men in the United Kingdom are 4.4 cm taller than in Iraq (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
