Iran vs Iraq
Iran has 2.0× the population of Iraq: 92,417,681 vs 47,020,774, a gap of 45.4 million. Iraq is growing faster (+2.10% vs +0.92% a year), adding about 989,089 people a year against +853,875. Using continuous exponential growth from the stated base year, if these rates held, Iraq would overtake Iran in about 57 years (from the 2025 population bases, around 2082) — a projection, not a forecast. Iran is the older society: 8.6% aged 65+ against 3.4% in Iraq, while Iraq has more children (36.0% under 15 vs 22.0%). Iraq is 1.9× as densely populated (103.8 vs 55.8 people per km²). People in Iran live 5.4 years longer on average (77.9 vs 72.4). GDP per capita is 1.4× higher in Iraq ($5,410 vs $3,924).
Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (Iran) and 2025 (Iraq); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.
Iran vs Iraq — side by side
 Iran |  Iraq | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 92,417,6812025 | 47,020,7742025 |
| Growth rate / yr | +0.92%2025 | +2.10%2025 |
| Births per 1,000 | 12.62024 | 25.62024 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | 4.82024 | 4.22024 |
| Children per woman | 1.682024 | 3.222024 |
| Life expectancy | 77.9 yrs2024 | 72.4 yrs2024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 22.0%2025 | 36.0%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 8.6%2025 | 3.4%2025 |
| Density | 55.8 /km²2023 | 103.8 /km²2023 |
| Area | 1,745,150 km²2023 | 435,050 km²2023 |
| Urban population | 77.4%2025 | 69.9%2025 |
| Net migration / yr | +116,7862025 | -1,0642025 |
| GDP per capita | $3,9242025 | $5,4102025 |
| Country population rank (available records) | #17 | #34 |
| Base / world population (World Bank 2025) | 1.12% | 0.57% |
Highlighted cell = the higher value (not "better"). Small print under each value is its own data year. Source: World Bank; country/territory population bases may have different years. These are not live counts.
Population since 1960
World Bank population history (not the separate UN WPP timeline). Iran: 4.3× from 1960 to 2025; Iraq: 6.7× from 1960 to 2025. Left: absolute population. Right: each series indexed to its own first available year = 100; baseline years may differ.
More comparisons
Region: Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan · rankings
Iran: Iran vs India, Iran vs China, Iran vs United States, Iran vs Indonesia, Iran vs Pakistan, Iran vs Nigeria, Iran vs Brazil, Iran vs Bangladesh.
Iraq: Iraq vs Pakistan, Iraq vs Egypt, Iraq vs Iran, Iraq vs Uganda, Iraq vs Spain, Iraq vs Algeria, Iraq vs Argentina, Iraq vs Afghanistan.
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This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.