Iraq vs Sweden
Sweden and Iraq are almost exactly the same size.
IraqSwedenIraq moved onto Sweden · Equal-area projection
0.98×
Iraq is 0.98× the area of Sweden. Put the other way, Sweden is 1.02× the size of Iraq.
 Iraq |  Sweden | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 437,072 km²#58 of 194 | 447,425 km²#56 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationIraq: 4.44× the population | 47,020,774#34 of 194 · 2025 | 10,596,620#93 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityIraq: 4.54× the density | 108 / km²#82 of 194 | 24 / km²#161 of 194 |
| Urban populationSweden: 1.27× the urban share | 70%#74 of 192 · 2025 | 89%#22 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateIraq: 2.25× the births per woman | 3.22 per woman#48 of 192 · 2024 | 1.43 per woman#151 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthIraq: 1.85 points higher | +2.10%#42 of 192 · 2025 | +0.25%#147 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateIraq: 2.75× the birth rate | 25.6 per 1,000#47 of 192 · 2024 | 9.3 per 1,000#153 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateSweden: 2.05× the death rate | 4.2 per 1,000#184 of 192 · 2024 | 8.6 per 1,000#62 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Iraq: 19.3 points higher | 36.0%#48 of 192 · 2025 | 16.7%#144 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Sweden: 17.5 points higher | 3.4%#156 of 192 · 2025 | 20.9%#24 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSweden: 4.4 per 1,000 higher | 0.0 per 1,000#73 of 192 · 2025 | +4.4 per 1,000#23 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadIraq: 576× the refugees for its size | 5.76 per 1,000#25 of 190 · 2025 | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancySweden: 11.7 years longer | 72.4 years#110 of 192 · 2024 | 84.1 years#7 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityIraq: 10.1× the infant mortality | 20.1 per 1,000 births#69 of 191 · 2024 | 2.0 per 1,000 births#182 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsSweden: 4.32× the doctors per person | 1.02 per 1,000#107 of 178 · 2022 | 4.41 per 1,000#20 of 178 · 2021 |
| University enrolment | — | 84.0%#17 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexSweden: 0.264 higher | 0.695#125 of 190 · 2023 | 0.959#5 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaSweden: 11.1× the income per person | $5,690#107 of 185 · 2025 | $63,010#12 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPSweden: 2.63× the economy | $254.37B2025 | $669B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Sweden: 5.08× the output per person | $14,267#111 of 184 · 2025 | $72,529#20 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthSweden: 3.7 points higher | −2.2%#183 of 187 · 2025 | +1.5%#144 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationSweden: 0.4 points higher | +0.3%#156 of 176 · 2025 | +0.7%#149 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentIraq: 1.78× the unemployment | 15.5%#14 of 178 · 2025 | 8.7%#44 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertySweden: 1.6× the share in extreme poverty | 0.5%#103 of 149 · 2023 | 0.8%#92 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Iraq: 0.5 higher | 29.8#121 of 149 · 2023 | 29.3#125 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureIraq: 6.4 points higher | 8.2% of jobs#117 of 178 · 2025 | 1.8% of jobs#160 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryIraq: 9.7 points higher | 26.5% of jobs#30 of 178 · 2025 | 16.8% of jobs#118 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesSweden: 16.1 points higher | 65.3% of jobs#70 of 178 · 2025 | 81.4% of jobs#10 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentSweden: 5.6 points higher | -3.0% of GDP#178 of 184 · 2025 | 2.6% of GDP#73 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsSweden: 13.4 points higher | 39.8% of GDP#74 of 168 · 2024 | 53.2% of GDP#44 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingAbout the same military spending | 2.5% of GDP#43 of 155 · 2025 | 2.5% of GDP#42 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersSweden: 1.18× the share online | 82%#95 of 184 · 2024 | 96%#20 of 184 · 2025 |
| Mobile subscriptionsSweden: 1.41× the mobile subscriptions | 100 per 100#127 of 191 · 2024 | 141 per 100#34 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaSweden: 42.9× the forest share | 2% of land#173 of 192 · 2024 | 69% of land#16 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personIraq: 1.45× the CO₂ per person | 5.18 t a year#47 of 185 · 2024 | 3.57 t a year#73 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energySweden: 56.8 points higher | 1.1%#173 of 190 · 2021 | 57.9%#40 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Iraq: 9.34× the air pollution | 49.5 µg/m³#13 of 191 · 2023 | 5.3 µg/m³#181 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landSweden: 14.3 points higher | 1.5% of land#182 of 191 · 2025 | 15.8% of land#110 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landIraq: 5.1 points higher | 11.3% of land#90 of 190 · 2024 | 6.2% of land#121 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressIraq: 16.6× the water stress | 59.6%#30 of 176 · 2022 | 3.6%#133 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationSweden: 2.89× the rain and snow | 216 mm#164 of 180 · 2022 | 624 mm#127 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilitySweden: 2.72 higher | −1.87#184 of 193 · 2025 | +0.85#46 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionSweden: 3.21 higher | −1.25#168 of 193 · 2025 | +1.96#5 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 1.1 per 100,000#99 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republicfederal parliamentary republic | Constitutional monarchyparliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Member of | OPEC | EU, NATO, Schengen Area, OECD |
| Capital | Baghdad | Stockholm |
| Currency | Iraqi dinar (IQD) | Swedish krona (SEK) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Kurdish language | Swedish, Finnish, Yiddish, Romani, Sámi, Meänkieli |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+3 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +964 | +46 |
| Region | Western Asia, Asia | Northern Europe, Europe |
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; Sweden at 62° N is stretched to 4.65×. That difference is why Sweden looks so much bigger than it is next to Iraq. 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 Sweden?
- No. Iraq and Sweden are almost exactly the same size. Iraq covers 437,072 km² and Sweden covers 447,425 km².
- How many times does Iraq fit into Sweden?
- About 1.0 times: Sweden has 1.02× the area of Iraq.
- Why do Iraq and Sweden 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 Sweden about 4.65×. That is why Sweden looks so much bigger than it really is next to Iraq. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Iraq or Sweden?
- Iraq: 47,020,774 people against 10,596,620. Density: Iraq 108 per km², Sweden 24 per km².
- Which is richer, Iraq or Sweden?
- By gross national income per person, Sweden: $63,010 against $5,690 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 11.1× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Iraq or Sweden?
- In Sweden: life expectancy at birth is 84.1 years, against 72.4 — 11.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Iraq and Sweden have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Iraq: parliamentary republic; Sweden: constitutional monarchy.