Iran vs Iraq
Iran is 3.77 times larger than Iraq. Iraq would fit into Iran about 3.8 times.
IranIraqIran moved onto Iraq · Equal-area projection
3.77×
Iran is 3.77× the area of Iraq.
 Iran |  Iraq | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaIran: 3.77× the area | 1,648,195 km²#17 of 194 | 437,072 km²#58 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 7 | 6 |
| People | ||
| PopulationIran: 1.97× the population | 92,417,681#17 of 194 · 2025 | 47,020,774#34 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityIraq: 1.92× the density | 56 / km²#130 of 194 | 108 / km²#82 of 194 |
| Urban populationIran: 1.11× the urban share | 77%#52 of 192 · 2025 | 70%#74 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateIraq: 1.92× the births per woman | 1.68 per woman#119 of 192 · 2024 | 3.22 per woman#48 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthIraq: 1.18 points higher | +0.92%#101 of 192 · 2025 | +2.10%#42 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateIraq: 2.03× the birth rate | 12.6 per 1,000#107 of 192 · 2024 | 25.6 per 1,000#47 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateIran: 1.14× the death rate | 4.8 per 1,000#176 of 192 · 2024 | 4.2 per 1,000#184 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Iraq: 14.0 points higher | 22.0%#105 of 192 · 2025 | 36.0%#48 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Iran: 5.2 points higher | 8.6%#87 of 192 · 2025 | 3.4%#156 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationIran: 1.3 per 1,000 higher | +1.3 per 1,000#44 of 192 · 2025 | 0.0 per 1,000#73 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadIraq: 3.37× the refugees for its size | 1.71 per 1,000#48 of 190 · 2025 | 5.76 per 1,000#25 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyIran: 5.5 years longer | 77.9 years#56 of 192 · 2024 | 72.4 years#110 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityIraq: 1.95× the infant mortality | 10.3 per 1,000 births#110 of 191 · 2024 | 20.1 per 1,000 births#69 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsIran: 1.77× the doctors per person | 1.81 per 1,000#87 of 178 · 2023 | 1.02 per 1,000#107 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | 58.7%#59 of 145 · 2022 | — |
| Human Development IndexIran: 0.104 higher | 0.799#74 of 190 · 2023 | 0.695#125 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaIraq: 1.22× the income per person | $4,650#118 of 185 · 2025 | $5,690#107 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPIran: 1.43× the economy | $362.68B2025 | $254.37B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Iran: 1.38× the output per person | $19,699#95 of 184 · 2025 | $14,267#111 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthIraq: 0.6 points higher | −2.8%#185 of 187 · 2025 | −2.2%#183 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationIran: 41.9 points higher | +42.2%#5 of 176 · 2025 | +0.3%#156 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentIraq: 1.87× the unemployment | 8.3%#48 of 178 · 2025 | 15.5%#14 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyIran: 5.0× the share in extreme poverty | 2.5%#67 of 149 · 2023 | 0.5%#103 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Iran: 6.1 higher | 35.9#65 of 149 · 2023 | 29.8#121 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureIran: 5.4 points higher | 13.6% of jobs#99 of 178 · 2025 | 8.2% of jobs#117 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryIran: 8.2 points higher | 34.7% of jobs#6 of 178 · 2025 | 26.5% of jobs#30 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesIraq: 13.6 points higher | 51.7% of jobs#110 of 178 · 2025 | 65.3% of jobs#70 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentIran: 3.5 points higher | 0.5% of GDP#144 of 184 · 2025 | -3.0% of GDP#178 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsIraq: 14.0 points higher | 25.8% of GDP#112 of 168 · 2025 | 39.8% of GDP#74 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingIraq: 1.17× the military spending | 2.1% of GDP#57 of 155 · 2025 | 2.5% of GDP#43 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersIran: 1.05× the share online | 85%#77 of 184 · 2024 | 82%#95 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsIran: 1.74× the mobile subscriptions | 174 per 100#11 of 191 · 2024 | 100 per 100#127 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaIran: 4.12× the forest share | 7% of land#161 of 192 · 2024 | 2% of land#173 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personIran: 1.75× the CO₂ per person | 9.05 t a year#20 of 185 · 2024 | 5.18 t a year#47 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyIraq: 0.2 points higher | 0.9%#179 of 190 · 2021 | 1.1%#173 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Iraq: 1.23× the air pollution | 40.2 µg/m³#23 of 191 · 2023 | 49.5 µg/m³#13 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landIran: 6.3 points higher | 7.8% of land#154 of 191 · 2025 | 1.5% of land#182 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landIraq: 1.6 points higher | 9.7% of land#103 of 190 · 2024 | 11.3% of land#90 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressIran: 1.36× the water stress | 81.3%#22 of 176 · 2022 | 59.6%#30 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationIran: 1.06× the rain and snow | 228 mm#161 of 180 · 2022 | 216 mm#164 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityIran: 0.18 higher | −1.69#176 of 193 · 2025 | −1.87#184 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionIran: 0.11 higher | −1.14#164 of 193 · 2025 | −1.25#168 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Theocracytheocratic republic | Parliamentary republicfederal parliamentary republic |
| Member of | BRICS, OPEC | OPEC |
| Capital | Tehran | Baghdad |
| Currency | Iranian rial (IRR) | Iraqi dinar (IQD) |
| Official languages | Persian | Arabic, Kurdish language |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+3:30 | UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +98 | +964 |
| Region | Southern Asia, Asia | Western Asia, Asia |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Iran sits at about 33° N and is stretched to 1.41× its true area; Iraq at 33° N is stretched to 1.42×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Iran bigger than Iraq?
- Yes. Iran is 3.77 times larger than Iraq. Iran covers 1,648,195 km² and Iraq covers 437,072 km².
- How many times does Iraq fit into Iran?
- About 3.8 times: Iran has 3.77× the area of Iraq.
- Why do Iran and Iraq look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Iran is drawn about 1.41× its true area there and Iraq about 1.42×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Iran or Iraq?
- Iran: 92,417,681 people against 47,020,774. Density: Iran 56 per km², Iraq 108 per km².
- Which is richer, Iran or Iraq?
- By gross national income per person, Iraq: $5,690 against $4,650 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.22× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Iran or Iraq?
- In Iran: life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years, against 72.4 — 5.5 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Iran and Iraq have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Iran: theocracy; Iraq: parliamentary republic.