Iraq vs Kuwait
Iraq is 24.5 times larger than Kuwait. Kuwait would fit into Iraq about 25 times.
IraqKuwaitIraq moved onto Kuwait · Equal-area projection
24.5×
Iraq is 24.5× the area of Kuwait.
 Iraq |  Kuwait | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaIraq: 24.5× the area | 437,072 km²#58 of 194 | 17,818 km²#153 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationIraq: 9.66× the population | 47,020,774#34 of 194 · 2025 | 4,865,298#126 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityKuwait: 2.54× the density | 108 / km²#82 of 194 | 273 / km²#32 of 194 |
| Urban populationKuwait: 1.43× the urban share | 70%#74 of 192 · 2025 | 100%#1 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateIraq: 2.06× the births per woman | 3.22 per woman#48 of 192 · 2024 | 1.56 per woman#127 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthIraq: 2.75 points higher | +2.10%#42 of 192 · 2025 | −0.65%#184 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateIraq: 2.56× the birth rate | 25.6 per 1,000#47 of 192 · 2024 | 10.0 per 1,000#140 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateIraq: 2.8× the death rate | 4.2 per 1,000#184 of 192 · 2024 | 1.5 per 1,000#190 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Iraq: 18.0 points higher | 36.0%#48 of 192 · 2025 | 18.0%#128 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Iraq: 0.2 points higher | 3.4%#156 of 192 · 2025 | 3.2%#161 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationKuwait: 8.8 per 1,000 higher | 0.0 per 1,000#73 of 192 · 2025 | +8.8 per 1,000#10 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadIraq: 8.35× the refugees for its size | 5.76 per 1,000#25 of 190 · 2025 | 0.69 per 1,000#68 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyKuwait: 12.2 years longer | 72.4 years#110 of 192 · 2024 | 84.6 years#3 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityIraq: 2.87× the infant mortality | 20.1 per 1,000 births#69 of 191 · 2024 | 7.0 per 1,000 births#132 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsKuwait: 2.23× the doctors per person | 1.02 per 1,000#107 of 178 · 2022 | 2.27 per 1,000#79 of 178 · 2020 |
| University enrolment | — | 51.9%#74 of 145 · 2021 |
| Human Development IndexKuwait: 0.157 higher | 0.695#125 of 190 · 2023 | 0.852#51 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaKuwait: 7.22× the income per person | $5,690#107 of 185 · 2025 | $41,110#27 of 185 · 2024 |
| GDPIraq: 1.62× the economy | $254.37B2025 | $157.21B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Kuwait: 3.96× the output per person | $14,267#111 of 184 · 2025 | $56,468#37 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthKuwait: 4.9 points higher | −2.2%#183 of 187 · 2025 | +2.7%#111 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationKuwait: 2.1 points higher | +0.3%#156 of 176 · 2025 | +2.4%#103 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentIraq: 7.05× the unemployment | 15.5%#14 of 178 · 2025 | 2.2%#158 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 0.5%#103 of 149 · 2023 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 29.8#121 of 149 · 2023 | — |
| Jobs in agricultureIraq: 6.3 points higher | 8.2% of jobs#117 of 178 · 2025 | 1.9% of jobs#159 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryIraq: 1.9 points higher | 26.5% of jobs#30 of 178 · 2025 | 24.6% of jobs#44 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesKuwait: 8.2 points higher | 65.3% of jobs#70 of 178 · 2025 | 73.5% of jobs#36 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentKuwait: 3.3 points higher | -3.0% of GDP#178 of 184 · 2025 | 0.3% of GDP#154 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsKuwait: 16.0 points higher | 39.8% of GDP#74 of 168 · 2024 | 55.8% of GDP#35 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingKuwait: 1.91× the military spending | 2.5% of GDP#43 of 155 · 2025 | 4.7% of GDP#11 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersKuwait: 1.23× the share online | 82%#95 of 184 · 2024 | 100%#1 of 184 · 2025 |
| Mobile subscriptionsKuwait: 1.68× the mobile subscriptions | 100 per 100#127 of 191 · 2024 | 168 per 100#16 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaIraq: 4.0× the forest share | 2% of land#173 of 192 · 2024 | 0% of land#185 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personKuwait: 4.57× the CO₂ per person | 5.18 t a year#47 of 185 · 2024 | 23.7 t a year#4 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyIraq: 1.0 points higher | 1.1%#173 of 190 · 2021 | 0.1%#183 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Kuwait: 1.26× the air pollution | 49.5 µg/m³#13 of 191 · 2023 | 62.3 µg/m³#6 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landKuwait: 15.6 points higher | 1.5% of land#182 of 191 · 2025 | 17.1% of land#98 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landIraq: 10.9 points higher | 11.3% of land#90 of 190 · 2024 | 0.4% of land#183 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressKuwait: 64.6× the water stress | 59.6%#30 of 176 · 2022 | 3,850.5%#1 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationIraq: 1.79× the rain and snow | 216 mm#164 of 180 · 2022 | 121 mm#171 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityKuwait: 2.29 higher | −1.87#184 of 193 · 2025 | +0.42#75 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionKuwait: 1.53 higher | −1.25#168 of 193 · 2025 | +0.28#69 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 0.2 per 100,000#141 of 146 · 2020 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republicfederal parliamentary republic | Constitutional monarchyconstitutional monarchy (emirate) |
| Member of | OPEC | OPEC |
| Capital | Baghdad | Kuwait City |
| Currency | Iraqi dinar (IQD) | Kuwaiti dinar (KWD) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Kurdish language | Arabic |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+3 | UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +964 | +965 |
| Region | Western 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. Iraq sits at about 33° N and is stretched to 1.42× its true area; Kuwait at 29° N is stretched to 1.32×. 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 Iraq bigger than Kuwait?
- Yes. Iraq is 24.5 times larger than Kuwait. Iraq covers 437,072 km² and Kuwait covers 17,818 km².
- How many times does Kuwait fit into Iraq?
- About 25 times: Iraq has 24.5× the area of Kuwait.
- Why do Iraq and Kuwait look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Iraq is drawn about 1.42× its true area there and Kuwait about 1.32×. 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, Iraq or Kuwait?
- Iraq: 47,020,774 people against 4,865,298. Density: Iraq 108 per km², Kuwait 273 per km².
- Which is richer, Iraq or Kuwait?
- By gross national income per person, Kuwait: $41,110 against $5,690 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 7.22× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Iraq or Kuwait?
- In Kuwait: life expectancy at birth is 84.6 years, against 72.4 — 12.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Iraq and Kuwait have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Iraq: parliamentary republic; Kuwait: constitutional monarchy.