Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Iraq fits inside the United States 23 times.
Iraq: 435,050 km² (2023) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 344 times as long as Iraq’s.
Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 2,579 m above Iraq’s.
Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 7.3 times as many people as Iraq.
Iraq: 47 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iraq is 2.9 times as densely populated as the United States.
Iraq: 108 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 3.2 cm taller than in Iraq.
Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United States are 4.6 cm taller than in Iraq.
Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 18 years older than in Iraq.
Iraq: 20.3 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Iraq have 1.6 more children on average than in the United States.
Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in the United States are 65 or older, versus 3.4% in Iraq.
Iraq: 3.4% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United States has produced 8.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Iraq 0.2.
Iraq: 0.2 (2025) · United States: 8.7 (2025)
How many official languages?
Iraq has 3 official languages, the United States 1.
Iraq: 3 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 121 times the size of Iraq’s.
Iraq: $254 billion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 6.3 times as much per person as Iraq.
Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in Iraq (Gini 12 points higher).
Iraq: 29.8 (2023) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 4.2% in the United States.
Iraq: 15.5% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, Iraq 2.4%.
Iraq: 2.4% (2024) · United States: 3.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 2.6× Iraq’s.
Iraq: 38% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 40 times as much on health per person as Iraq.
Iraq: $333 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 6.5 years longer than in Iraq.
Iraq: 72.4 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Iraq is 3.7 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United States.
Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 3.6 times as many doctors per person as Iraq.
Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 37% in Iraq.
Iraq: 36.8% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Iraq smoke, versus 16% in the United States.
Iraq: 20.1% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United States rate their lives 1.60 points higher than in Iraq.
Iraq: 5.21 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 16 times as much alcohol as in Iraq.
Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 5.8 times as much meat per person as Iraq.
Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 1,577 kcal more food per person per day than Iraq.
Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United States put in 206 more hours a year than in Iraq.
Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 7.1 years longer than in Iraq.
Iraq: 6.8 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Iraq: no data · United States: 0.21 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United States are online, versus 81% in Iraq.
Iraq: 81% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Iraq and the United States are practically level.
Iraq: 100% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in the United States live in cities, versus 70% in Iraq.
Iraq: 70% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United States has 113 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Iraq 100.
Iraq: 100 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 63 times as long as Iraq’s.
Iraq: 2,370 km (2014) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 34 times as many passengers per resident as those from Iraq.
Iraq: 0.08 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of the United States, but only 1.9% of Iraq.
Iraq: 1.9% (2023) · United States: 33.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 2.8 times as much CO₂ as someone in Iraq.
Iraq: 5.1 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
26% of the United States’ electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq.
Iraq: 1.6% (2024) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iraq carries 6.5 times as much fine dust as in the United States.
Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Iraq: no data · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iraq are 51% deadlier than in the United States.
Iraq: 21.5 per 100k (2021) · United States: 14.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Iraq is on average 13.6 °C warmer than the United States.
Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United States gets 4 times as much rain as Iraq.
Iraq: 214 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Iraq bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. Iraq fits inside the United States 23 times.
Which has more people, Iraq or the United States?
The United States has 7.3 times as many people as Iraq (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Iraq or the United States?
People in the United States live 6.5 years longer than in Iraq. Life expectancy at birth is 72.4 years in Iraq and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in Iraq or the United States?
Men in the United States are 3.2 cm taller than in Iraq (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
