Afghanistan vs Iraq
Afghanistan vs Iraq: Military spending per person
Military spending per person: $7 in Afghanistan in 2021 and $139 in Iraq in 2025, by SIPRI estimates. In 2021 the value was higher in Iraq, by $105, or 16 times that in Afghanistan.
US dollars per person · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Iraq has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2004.
Every year
US dollars per person · SIPRI
| Year | Afghanistan | Iraq |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | – | $139 |
| 2024 | – | $139 |
| 2023 | – | $128 |
| 2022 | – | $109 |
| 2021 | $7 | $112 |
| 2020 | $7 | $136 |
| 2019 | $6 | $188 |
| 2018 | $5 | $159 |
| 2017 | $5 | $191 |
| 2016 | $5 | $157 |
| 2015 | $6 | $259 |
| 2014 | $8 | $192 |
| 2013 | $7 | $225 |
| 2012 | $8 | $126 |
| 2011 | $11 | $136 |
| 2010 | $11 | $123 |
| 2009 | $9 | $110 |
| 2008 | $9 | $110 |
| 2007 | $8 | $70 |
| 2006 | $5 | $43 |
| 2005 | $5 | $40 |
| 2004 | $5 | $23 |
- Estimate
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the country spends on its armed forces and defence for each person living there, in US dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation.
- Source: Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Military Expenditure Database, https://doi.org/10.55163/CQGC9685.
- Marked points are SIPRI’s own: a dot where it gives the figure as its estimate, a ring where it calls the figure highly uncertain.
- Ranks count the 151 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Afghanistan vs Iraq
Health
- Life expectancyAfghanistan: 66 years in 2023Iraq: 72.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityAfghanistan: 5.3 per 100 live births in 2024Iraq: 2.2 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityAfghanistan: 44 per 1,000 live births in 2023Iraq: 19 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterAfghanistan: 30% in 2022Iraq: 59.7% in 2022
- DepressionAfghanistan: 4.14% in 2017Iraq: 3.89% in 2017
- Suicide rateAfghanistan: 9.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Iraq: 4.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationAfghanistan: 41.5 million people in 2023Iraq: 45.1 million people in 2023
- Population growthAfghanistan: 2.85% a year in 2023Iraq: 2.15% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateAfghanistan: 4.84 births per woman in 2023Iraq: 3.25 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationAfghanistan: 25.9% in 2025Iraq: 69.9% in 2025
- Median ageAfghanistan: 16.9 years in 2023Iraq: 20.4 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overAfghanistan: 2.4% in 2023Iraq: 3.4% in 2023
- Net migration rateAfghanistan: -1.2 per 1,000 people in 2023Iraq: -0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingAfghanistan: 1.83% of GDP in 2021Iraq: 2.45% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsAfghanistan: $8.55M in 1977Iraq: $6.4B in 2025
- Military share of state spendingAfghanistan: 5% of government spending in 2020Iraq: 5.5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelAfghanistan: 165,000 people in 2020Iraq: 459,000 people in 2020
- National powerAfghanistan: 0.29% of world capability in 2022Iraq: 0.54% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersAfghanistan: 1.82% of the labour force in 2020Iraq: 4.4% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsAfghanistan: 65 million TIV in 2021Iraq: 55 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsAfghanistan: 1 million TIV in 1992Iraq: 20 million TIV in 1989