Iran vs Iraq
Iran vs Iraq: Government debt
Government debt: 31.2% of GDP in Iran in 2024 and 52.8% of GDP in Iraq in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Iraq, by 14.4 percentage points, or 1.46 times that in Iran.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Iraq has been higher since 2020, when it overtook Iran.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Iran at 43.4% of GDP and Iraq at 73.3% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Iran | Iraq |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 35.6 | 52.8 |
| 2024 | 31.2 | 45.7 |
| 2023 | 29.6 | 42.1 |
| 2022 | 34.5 | 39 |
| 2021 | 39.9 | 54.7 |
| 2020 | 47.1 | 72.5 |
| 2019 | 44.6 | 41.7 |
| 2018 | 41.6 | 44.4 |
| 2017 | 43.2 | 55.9 |
| 2016 | 46 | 60.3 |
| 2015 | 32.1 | 48.3 |
| 2014 | 10.9 | 27.6 |
| 2013 | 10.2 | 32 |
| 2012 | 11.8 | 34.8 |
| 2011 | 10.6 | 40.7 |
| 2010 | 12.8 | 53.5 |
| 2009 | 11.5 | 87.4 |
| 2008 | 10.6 | 74.2 |
| 2007 | 13.5 | 117.1 |
| 2006 | 15.2 | 143.2 |
| 2005 | 18.3 | 227.3 |
| 2004 | 21.1 | 344.3 |
| 2003 | 22 | – |
| 2002 | 23.4 | – |
| 2001 | 21 | – |
| 2000 | 18.2 | – |
| 1999 | 22.2 | – |
| 1998 | 29.6 | – |
| 1997 | 30.9 | – |
| 1996 | 29.3 | – |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Iran | Iraq |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 39.1 | 71.1 |
| 2027 | 40.2 | 65.2 |
| 2028 | 40.8 | 62.9 |
| 2029 | 41.7 | 65.3 |
| 2030 | 42.7 | 68.7 |
| 2031 | 43.4 | 73.3 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the government owes, as a share of the economy’s yearly output.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 149 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
Iran vs Iraq
Health
- Life expectancyIran: 77.7 years in 2023Iraq: 72.3 years in 2023
- Child mortalityIran: 1.1 per 100 live births in 2024Iraq: 2.2 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityIran: 9.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023Iraq: 19 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterIran: 94.2% in 2022Iraq: 59.7% in 2022
- DepressionIran: 5.12% in 2017Iraq: 3.89% in 2017
- Suicide rateIran: 5.4 per 100,000 people in 2017Iraq: 4.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationIran: 90.6 million people in 2023Iraq: 45.1 million people in 2023
- Population growthIran: 1.12% a year in 2023Iraq: 2.15% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateIran: 1.7 births per woman in 2023Iraq: 3.25 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationIran: 77.4% in 2025Iraq: 69.9% in 2025
- Median ageIran: 32.9 years in 2023Iraq: 20.4 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overIran: 7.9% in 2023Iraq: 3.4% in 2023
- Net migration rateIran: 2.9 per 1,000 people in 2023Iraq: -0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingIran: 2.09% of GDP in 2025Iraq: 2.45% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsIran: $7.45B in 2025Iraq: $6.4B in 2025
- Military spending per personIran: $80 in 2025Iraq: $139 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingIran: 11.2% of government spending in 2025Iraq: 5.5% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelIran: 650,000 people in 2020Iraq: 459,000 people in 2020
- National powerIran: 1.64% of world capability in 2022Iraq: 0.54% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersIran: 2.35% of the labour force in 2020Iraq: 4.4% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsIran: 42 million TIV in 2024Iraq: 55 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsIran: 80 million TIV in 2025Iraq: 20 million TIV in 1989