Iraq vs Zimbabwe
Iraq is 12% larger than Zimbabwe.
IraqZimbabweIraq moved onto Zimbabwe · Equal-area projection
1.12×
Iraq is 1.12× the area of Zimbabwe.
 Iraq |  Zimbabwe | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaIraq: 1.12× the area | 437,072 km²#58 of 194 | 390,757 km²#60 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationIraq: 2.77× the population | 47,020,774#34 of 194 · 2025 | 16,950,795#74 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityIraq: 2.48× the density | 108 / km²#82 of 194 | 43 / km²#142 of 194 |
| Urban populationIraq: 1.73× the urban share | 70%#74 of 192 · 2025 | 41%#148 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateZimbabwe: 1.14× the births per woman | 3.22 per woman#48 of 192 · 2024 | 3.67 per woman#37 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthIraq: 0.22 points higher | +2.10%#42 of 192 · 2025 | +1.88%#52 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateZimbabwe: 1.17× the birth rate | 25.6 per 1,000#47 of 192 · 2024 | 29.9 per 1,000#31 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateZimbabwe: 1.79× the death rate | 4.2 per 1,000#184 of 192 · 2024 | 7.5 per 1,000#86 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Zimbabwe: 4.3 points higher | 36.0%#48 of 192 · 2025 | 40.3%#23 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Zimbabwe: 0.2 points higher | 3.4%#156 of 192 · 2025 | 3.6%#150 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationIraq: 3.2 per 1,000 higher | 0.0 per 1,000#73 of 192 · 2025 | −3.2 per 1,000#162 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadIraq: 14.8× the refugees for its size | 5.76 per 1,000#25 of 190 · 2025 | 0.39 per 1,000#80 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyIraq: 9.3 years longer | 72.4 years#110 of 192 · 2024 | 63.1 years#175 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityZimbabwe: 3.1× the infant mortality | 20.1 per 1,000 births#69 of 191 · 2024 | 62.4 per 1,000 births#6 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsIraq: 7.29× the doctors per person | 1.02 per 1,000#107 of 178 · 2022 | 0.14 per 1,000#161 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolment | — | 7.7%#136 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexIraq: 0.097 higher | 0.695#125 of 190 · 2023 | 0.598#150 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaIraq: 2.14× the income per person | $5,690#107 of 185 · 2025 | $2,660#142 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPIraq: 4.97× the economy | $254.37B2025 | $51.22B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Iraq: 2.21× the output per person | $14,267#111 of 184 · 2025 | $6,470#143 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthZimbabwe: 10.3 points higher | −2.2%#183 of 187 · 2025 | +8.1%#9 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationZimbabwe: 104.4 points higher | +0.3%#156 of 176 · 2025 | +104.7%#3 of 176 · 2022 |
| UnemploymentIraq: 1.67× the unemployment | 15.5%#14 of 178 · 2025 | 9.3%#38 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyZimbabwe: 98.4× the share in extreme poverty | 0.5%#103 of 149 · 2023 | 49.2%#12 of 149 · 2019 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Zimbabwe: 20.5 higher | 29.8#121 of 149 · 2023 | 50.3#8 of 149 · 2019 |
| Jobs in agricultureZimbabwe: 46.1 points higher | 8.2% of jobs#117 of 178 · 2025 | 54.3% of jobs#19 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryIraq: 15.0 points higher | 26.5% of jobs#30 of 178 · 2025 | 11.5% of jobs#151 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesIraq: 31.1 points higher | 65.3% of jobs#70 of 178 · 2025 | 34.2% of jobs#159 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentZimbabwe: 4.9 points higher | -3.0% of GDP#178 of 184 · 2025 | 1.9% of GDP#96 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsIraq: 21.7 points higher | 39.8% of GDP#74 of 168 · 2024 | 18.1% of GDP#139 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingIraq: 4.38× the military spending | 2.5% of GDP#43 of 155 · 2025 | 0.6% of GDP#139 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersIraq: 1.96× the share online | 82%#95 of 184 · 2024 | 42%#151 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsIraq: 1.06× the mobile subscriptions | 100 per 100#127 of 191 · 2024 | 94 per 100#137 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaZimbabwe: 22.3× the forest share | 2% of land#173 of 192 · 2024 | 36% of land#81 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personIraq: 6.73× the CO₂ per person | 5.18 t a year#47 of 185 · 2024 | 0.77 t a year#136 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyZimbabwe: 81.3 points higher | 1.1%#173 of 190 · 2021 | 82.4%#13 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityIraq: 38.0 points higher | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 | 62.0%#161 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Iraq: 3.3× the air pollution | 49.5 µg/m³#13 of 191 · 2023 | 15.0 µg/m³#118 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landZimbabwe: 26.8 points higher | 1.5% of land#182 of 191 · 2025 | 28.3% of land#42 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landIraq: 0.9 points higher | 11.3% of land#90 of 190 · 2024 | 10.4% of land#97 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressIraq: 1.29× the water stress | 59.6%#30 of 176 · 2022 | 46.1%#40 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationZimbabwe: 3.04× the rain and snow | 216 mm#164 of 180 · 2022 | 657 mm#119 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityZimbabwe: 1.00 higher | −1.87#184 of 193 · 2025 | −0.87#160 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionIraq: 0.04 higher | −1.25#168 of 193 · 2025 | −1.29#172 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2022 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republicfederal parliamentary republic | Presidential republic |
| Member of | OPEC | — |
| Capital | Baghdad | Harare |
| Currency | Iraqi dinar (IQD) | Zimbabwe ZiG (ZWG), United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Kurdish language | English, Xhosa, Sesotho, Tswana, Chewa, Shona, Tsonga, Venda, Khoisan, Northern Ndebele, Tonga, Kalanga, Nambya, Ndau, Zimbabwe Sign Language, Barwe |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+3 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +964 | +263 |
| Region | Western Asia, Asia | Eastern Africa, Africa |
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; Zimbabwe at 19° S is stretched to 1.12×. 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 Zimbabwe?
- Yes. Iraq is 12% larger than Zimbabwe. Iraq covers 437,072 km² and Zimbabwe covers 390,757 km².
- How many times does Zimbabwe fit into Iraq?
- About 1.1 times: Iraq has 1.12× the area of Zimbabwe.
- Why do Iraq and Zimbabwe 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 Zimbabwe about 1.12×. 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 Zimbabwe?
- Iraq: 47,020,774 people against 16,950,795. Density: Iraq 108 per km², Zimbabwe 43 per km².
- Which is richer, Iraq or Zimbabwe?
- By gross national income per person, Iraq: $5,690 against $2,660 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.14× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Iraq or Zimbabwe?
- In Iraq: life expectancy at birth is 72.4 years, against 63.1 — 9.3 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Iraq and Zimbabwe have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Iraq: parliamentary republic; Zimbabwe: presidential republic.