Iran vs Iraq
Iran vs Iraq: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 2.09% of GDP in Iran and 2.45% of GDP in Iraq, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Iraq, by 0.36 percentage points, or 1.17 times that in Iran.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Iraq has been higher since 2024, when it overtook Iran.
- In 2025, Iran ranked 54 and Iraq ranked 39 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | Iran | Iraq |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.09 | 2.45 |
| 2024 | 2.22 | 2.27 |
| 2023 | 2.49 | 2.26 |
| 2022 | 2.24 | 1.64 |
| 2021 | 2.32 | 2.26 |
| 2020 | 2.18 | 3.11 |
| 2019 | 2.15 | 3.24 |
| 2018 | 2.36 | 2.75 |
| 2017 | 2.84 | 3.91 |
| 2016 | 2.8 | 3.55 |
| 2015 | 2.56 | 5.41 |
| 2014 | 2.12 | 2.95 |
| 2013 | 2.18 | 3.32 |
| 2012 | 2.69 | 1.9 |
| 2011 | 2.38 | 2.3 |
| 2010 | 2.79 | 2.71 |
| 2009 | 3.05 | 2.9 |
| 2008 | 2.68 | 2.37 |
| 2007 | 2.65 | 2.24 |
| 2006 | 3.32 | 1.9 |
| 2005 | 3.04 | 2.24 |
| 2004 | 2.84 | 1.68 |
| 2003 | 2.41 | – |
| 2002 | 2.18 | – |
| 2001 | 2.42 | – |
| 2000 | 2.3 | – |
| 1999 | 2.41 | – |
| 1998 | 2.63 | – |
| 1997 | 2.5 | – |
| 1996 | 2.25 | – |
| 1995 | 2.15 | – |
| 1994 | 2.07 | – |
| 1993 | 1.7 | – |
| 1992 | 1.79 | – |
| 1991 | 2.17 | – |
| 1990 | 2.94 | – |
| 1989 | 4.56 | – |
| 1988 | 6.27 | – |
| 1987 | 5.89 | – |
| 1986 | 6.08 | – |
| 1985 | 6.51 | – |
| 1984 | 6.36 | – |
| 1983 | 7.1 | – |
| 1982 | 7.91 | – |
| 1981 | 8.19 | 10.83 |
| 1980 | 5.34 | 5.51 |
| 1979 | 5.8 | 6.15 |
| 1978 | 11.11 | 8.12 |
| 1977 | 10.19 | 9.81 |
| 1976 | 11.25 | 11.16 |
| 1975 | 12.07 | 11.67 |
| 1974 | 8.75 | 12.49 |
| 1973 | 1.87 | 12.26 |
| 1972 | 2.28 | 10.64 |
| 1971 | 3.05 | 10.52 |
| 1970 | 5.86 | 11.17 |
| 1969 | 5.97 | 11.38 |
| 1968 | 5.18 | 9.22 |
| 1967 | 4.46 | 8.43 |
| 1966 | 3.82 | 8.52 |
| 1965 | 3.25 | 8.87 |
| 1964 | 2.88 | 7.96 |
| 1963 | 2.59 | 8.25 |
| 1962 | 2.31 | 6.91 |
| 1961 | 2.35 | 6.85 |
| 1960 | 2.3 | 7.05 |
| 1959 | – | 6.71 |
| 1958 | – | 6.08 |
| 1957 | – | 6.54 |
- Estimate
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the country spends on its armed forces and defence, as a share of its economy, by SIPRI’s count.
- 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
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 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