Iraq vs Syria
Iraq is 2.36 times larger than Syria. Syria would fit into Iraq about 2.4 times.
IraqSyriaIraq moved onto Syria · Equal-area projection
2.36×
Iraq is 2.36× the area of Syria.
 Iraq |  Syria | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaIraq: 2.36× the area | 437,072 km²#58 of 194 | 185,180 km²#87 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationIraq: 1.84× the population | 47,020,774#34 of 194 · 2025 | 25,620,427#57 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySyria: 1.29× the density | 108 / km²#82 of 194 | 138 / km²#66 of 194 |
| Urban populationSyria: 1.03× the urban share | 70%#74 of 192 · 2025 | 72%#65 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateIraq: 1.19× the births per woman | 3.22 per woman#48 of 192 · 2024 | 2.70 per woman#62 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthSyria: 1.67 points higher | +2.10%#42 of 192 · 2025 | +3.77%#5 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateIraq: 1.1× the birth rate | 25.6 per 1,000#47 of 192 · 2024 | 23.2 per 1,000#57 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateSyria: 1.17× the death rate | 4.2 per 1,000#184 of 192 · 2024 | 4.9 per 1,000#173 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Iraq: 7.6 points higher | 36.0%#48 of 192 · 2025 | 28.4%#76 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Syria: 1.4 points higher | 3.4%#156 of 192 · 2025 | 4.8%#127 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSyria: 16.5 per 1,000 higher | 0.0 per 1,000#73 of 192 · 2025 | +16.5 per 1,000#3 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadSyria: 33.0× the refugees for its size | 5.76 per 1,000#25 of 190 · 2025 | 189.92 per 1,000#2 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancySyria: 0.2 years longer | 72.4 years#110 of 192 · 2024 | 72.6 years#108 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityIraq: 1.14× the infant mortality | 20.1 per 1,000 births#69 of 191 · 2024 | 17.7 per 1,000 births#72 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsSyria: 1.49× the doctors per person | 1.02 per 1,000#107 of 178 · 2022 | 1.52 per 1,000#94 of 178 · 2021 |
| Human Development IndexIraq: 0.131 higher | 0.695#125 of 190 · 2023 | 0.564#159 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaIraq: 7.9× the income per person | $5,690#107 of 185 · 2025 | $720#177 of 185 · 2022 |
| GDPIraq: 10.7× the economy | $254.37B2025 | $23.74B2022 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Iraq: 2.91× the output per person | $14,267#111 of 184 · 2025 | $4,905#152 of 184 · 2022 |
| GDP growthSyria: 2.0 points higher | −2.2%#183 of 187 · 2025 | −0.2%#175 of 187 · 2022 |
| Inflation | +0.3%#156 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| UnemploymentIraq: 1.14× the unemployment | 15.5%#14 of 178 · 2025 | 13.6%#18 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertySyria: 36× the share in extreme poverty | 0.5%#103 of 149 · 2023 | 18.0%#37 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Iraq: 3.4 higher | 29.8#121 of 149 · 2023 | 26.4#140 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureSyria: 8.1 points higher | 8.2% of jobs#117 of 178 · 2025 | 16.3% of jobs#87 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryIraq: 1.3 points higher | 26.5% of jobs#30 of 178 · 2025 | 25.2% of jobs#42 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesIraq: 6.8 points higher | 65.3% of jobs#70 of 178 · 2025 | 58.5% of jobs#88 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investment | -3.0% of GDP#178 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| ExportsIraq: 33.0 points higher | 39.8% of GDP#74 of 168 · 2024 | 6.8% of GDP#165 of 168 · 2022 |
| Military spending | 2.5% of GDP#43 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet users | 82%#95 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptionsIraq: 1.41× the mobile subscriptions | 100 per 100#127 of 191 · 2024 | 71 per 100#157 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaSyria: 1.81× the forest share | 2% of land#173 of 192 · 2024 | 3% of land#171 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personIraq: 4.08× the CO₂ per person | 5.18 t a year#47 of 185 · 2024 | 1.27 t a year#121 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyThe same | 1.1%#173 of 190 · 2021 | 1.1%#173 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityIraq: 10.7 points higher | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 89.3%#139 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Iraq: 1.54× the air pollution | 49.5 µg/m³#13 of 191 · 2023 | 32.1 µg/m³#42 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landIraq: 0.8 points higher | 1.5% of land#182 of 191 · 2025 | 0.7% of land#185 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landSyria: 12.7 points higher | 11.3% of land#90 of 190 · 2024 | 24.0% of land#41 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressSyria: 2.09× the water stress | 59.6%#30 of 176 · 2022 | 124.4%#12 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationSyria: 1.17× the rain and snow | 216 mm#164 of 180 · 2022 | 252 mm#157 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityIraq: 0.45 higher | −1.87#184 of 193 · 2025 | −2.32#191 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionIraq: 0.37 higher | −1.25#168 of 193 · 2025 | −1.62#190 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republicfederal parliamentary republic | Military or transitionaltransitional presidential republic |
| Member of | OPEC | — |
| Capital | Baghdad | Damascus |
| Currency | Iraqi dinar (IQD) | Syrian pound (SYP) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Kurdish language | Arabic |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+3 | UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +964 | +963 |
| 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; Syria at 35° N is stretched to 1.49×. 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 Syria?
- Yes. Iraq is 2.36 times larger than Syria. Iraq covers 437,072 km² and Syria covers 185,180 km².
- How many times does Syria fit into Iraq?
- About 2.4 times: Iraq has 2.36× the area of Syria.
- Why do Iraq and Syria 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 Syria about 1.49×. 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 Syria?
- Iraq: 47,020,774 people against 25,620,427. Density: Iraq 108 per km², Syria 138 per km².
- Which is richer, Iraq or Syria?
- By gross national income per person, Iraq: $5,690 against $720 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 7.9× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Iraq or Syria?
- In Syria: life expectancy at birth is 72.6 years, against 72.4 — 0.2 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Iraq and Syria have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Iraq: parliamentary republic; Syria: military or transitional.