Iraq vs Yemen
Yemen is 4% larger than Iraq.
IraqYemenIraq moved onto Yemen · Equal-area projection
0.96×
Iraq is 0.96× the area of Yemen. Put the other way, Yemen is 1.04× the size of Iraq.
 Iraq |  Yemen | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaYemen: 1.04× the area | 437,072 km²#58 of 194 | 455,503 km²#54 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 2 |
| People | ||
| PopulationIraq: 1.13× the population | 47,020,774#34 of 194 · 2025 | 41,773,878#37 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityIraq: 1.17× the density | 108 / km²#82 of 194 | 92 / km²#96 of 194 |
| Urban populationIraq: 1.89× the urban share | 70%#74 of 192 · 2025 | 37%#155 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateYemen: 1.4× the births per woman | 3.22 per woman#48 of 192 · 2024 | 4.50 per woman#13 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthYemen: 0.79 points higher | +2.10%#42 of 192 · 2025 | +2.89%#15 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateYemen: 1.34× the birth rate | 25.6 per 1,000#47 of 192 · 2024 | 34.4 per 1,000#11 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateYemen: 1.12× the death rate | 4.2 per 1,000#184 of 192 · 2024 | 4.7 per 1,000#178 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Yemen: 5.0 points higher | 36.0%#48 of 192 · 2025 | 41.0%#17 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Iraq: 0.9 points higher | 3.4%#156 of 192 · 2025 | 2.5%#183 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationIraq: 0.4 per 1,000 higher | 0.0 per 1,000#73 of 192 · 2025 | −0.4 per 1,000#95 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadIraq: 4.2× the refugees for its size | 5.76 per 1,000#25 of 190 · 2025 | 1.37 per 1,000#53 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyIraq: 3.0 years longer | 72.4 years#110 of 192 · 2024 | 69.4 years#133 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityYemen: 1.68× the infant mortality | 20.1 per 1,000 births#69 of 191 · 2024 | 33.8 per 1,000 births#38 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsIraq: 10.2× the doctors per person | 1.02 per 1,000#107 of 178 · 2022 | 0.10 per 1,000#167 of 178 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexIraq: 0.225 higher | 0.695#125 of 190 · 2023 | 0.470#181 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | $5,690#107 of 185 · 2025 | — |
| GDP | $254.37B2025 | — |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $14,267#111 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| GDP growth | −2.2%#183 of 187 · 2025 | — |
| Inflation | +0.3%#156 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| UnemploymentYemen: 1.12× the unemployment | 15.5%#14 of 178 · 2025 | 17.3%#11 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | 0.5%#103 of 149 · 2023 | — |
| Income inequality (Gini) | 29.8#121 of 149 · 2023 | — |
| Jobs in agricultureYemen: 23.4 points higher | 8.2% of jobs#117 of 178 · 2025 | 31.6% of jobs#56 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryIraq: 15.4 points higher | 26.5% of jobs#30 of 178 · 2025 | 11.1% of jobs#153 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesIraq: 8.0 points higher | 65.3% of jobs#70 of 178 · 2025 | 57.3% of jobs#92 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investment | -3.0% of GDP#178 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| Exports | 39.8% of GDP#74 of 168 · 2024 | — |
| Military spending | 2.5% of GDP#43 of 155 · 2025 | — |
| Internet users | 82%#95 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptionsIraq: 1.96× the mobile subscriptions | 100 per 100#127 of 191 · 2024 | 51 per 100#181 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaIraq: 1.6× the forest share | 2% of land#173 of 192 · 2024 | 1% of land#179 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personIraq: 19.9× the CO₂ per person | 5.18 t a year#47 of 185 · 2024 | 0.26 t a year#166 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyYemen: 2.6 points higher | 1.1%#173 of 190 · 2021 | 3.7%#160 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityIraq: 13.7 points higher | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 86.3%#144 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Iraq: 1.06× the air pollution | 49.5 µg/m³#13 of 191 · 2023 | 46.8 µg/m³#15 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landIraq: 0.4 points higher | 1.5% of land#182 of 191 · 2025 | 1.1% of land#183 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landIraq: 9.1 points higher | 11.3% of land#90 of 190 · 2024 | 2.2% of land#159 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressYemen: 2.85× the water stress | 59.6%#30 of 176 · 2022 | 169.8%#6 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationIraq: 1.29× the rain and snow | 216 mm#164 of 180 · 2022 | 167 mm#167 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityIraq: 0.64 higher | −1.87#184 of 193 · 2025 | −2.51#193 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionIraq: 0.43 higher | −1.25#168 of 193 · 2025 | −1.68#191 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republicfederal parliamentary republic | Military or transitionalin transition |
| Member of | OPEC | — |
| Capital | Baghdad | Sana'a |
| Currency | Iraqi dinar (IQD) | Yemeni Rial (YER) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Kurdish language | Arabic |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+3 | UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +964 | +967 |
| 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; Yemen at 16° N is stretched to 1.08×. 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 Yemen?
- No. Iraq is 4% smaller than Yemen. Iraq covers 437,072 km² and Yemen covers 455,503 km².
- How many times does Iraq fit into Yemen?
- About 1.0 times: Yemen has 1.04× the area of Iraq.
- Why do Iraq and Yemen 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 Yemen about 1.08×. 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 Yemen?
- Iraq: 47,020,774 people against 41,773,878. Density: Iraq 108 per km², Yemen 92 per km².
- Where do people live longer, Iraq or Yemen?
- In Iraq: life expectancy at birth is 72.4 years, against 69.4 — 3.0 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Iraq and Yemen have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Iraq: parliamentary republic; Yemen: military or transitional.