Iran vs Iraq

Iran and Iraq compared on 10 key figures from official sources. Each value is the latest one published for that country, so the year is shown with it.

• Iran has about 2 times as many people as Iraq: 92.4 million against 47 million in 2025.
• GDP per person in Iraq ($5,410) is 38% higher than in Iran ($3,924) in 2025.
• The economy grew faster in Iraq (-2.2%) than in Iran (-2.8%), a difference of 0.6 percentage points in 2025.
• Consumer prices rose faster in Iran (42.2%) than in Iraq (0.3%), a difference of 41.9 percentage points in 2025.
• The unemployment rate was higher in Iraq (15.5%) than in Iran (8.3%), a difference of 7.2 percentage points in 2025.
• A baby born in Iran can expect to live 5.5 years longer than one born in Iraq: 77.9 years against 72.4 years in 2024.
• The population of Iran is older: half of its people are over 32.9 years, against 20.3 years in Iraq in 2023.
• A larger share of people used the internet in Iran (85.3%) than in Iraq (81.5%), a difference of 3.8 percentage points in 2024.
• CO2 emissions per person in Iran (9.1 tonnes) are 75% higher than in Iraq (5.2 tonnes) in 2024.
• Forest covers a larger share of the land in Iran (6.6%) than in Iraq (1.6%), a difference of 5 percentage points in 2024.