Iraq vs Pakistan
Iraq vs Pakistan: GDP growth
GDP growth: -0.4% a year in Iraq in 2025 and 2.6% a year in Pakistan in 2024, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in Pakistan, by 2.4 percentage points, or 12 times that in Iraq.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- Pakistan has been higher since 2024, when it overtook Iraq.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Iraq at 3.5% a year and Pakistan at 4.5% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | Iraq | Pakistan |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | -0.4 | 3.2 |
| 2024 | 0.2 | 2.6 |
| 2023 | 0.8 | -0.2 |
| 2022 | 7.7 | 6.2 |
| 2021 | 1.4 | 5.8 |
| 2020 | -12.4 | -0.9 |
| 2019 | 5.6 | 3.1 |
| 2018 | 2.6 | 6.1 |
| 2017 | -1.5 | 4.6 |
| 2016 | 16.2 | 4.1 |
| 2015 | 2.5 | 3.8 |
| 2014 | 0.7 | 3.6 |
| 2013 | 7.6 | 3.9 |
| 2012 | 13.9 | 3.2 |
| 2011 | 7.5 | 3.2 |
| 2010 | 6.4 | 2.3 |
| 2009 | 3.4 | 1.1 |
| 2008 | 8.2 | 4.4 |
| 2007 | 1.9 | 5.1 |
| 2006 | 5.6 | 5.7 |
| 2005 | 1.7 | 8 |
| 2004 | 53.4 | 7.7 |
| 2003 | -36.7 | 5.2 |
| 2002 | -8.2 | 2.6 |
| 2001 | 1.8 | 3.6 |
| 2000 | – | 3.9 |
| 1999 | – | 4.2 |
| 1998 | – | 3.5 |
| 1997 | – | 1.7 |
| 1996 | – | 6.6 |
| 1995 | – | 5.1 |
| 1994 | – | 4.4 |
| 1993 | – | 2.1 |
| 1992 | – | 7.6 |
| 1991 | – | 5.1 |
| 1990 | – | 4.6 |
| 1989 | – | 4.8 |
| 1988 | – | 6.4 |
| 1987 | – | 5.8 |
| 1986 | – | 6.4 |
| 1985 | – | 8.7 |
| 1984 | – | 4 |
| 1983 | – | 6.8 |
| 1982 | – | 7.6 |
| 1981 | – | 6.2 |
| 1980 | – | 6.9 |
- 12.3Projected
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Iraq | Pakistan |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | -16 | 3.6 |
| 2027 | 19 | 3.5 |
| 2028 | 6.6 | 4.3 |
| 2029 | 3.4 | 4.5 |
| 2030 | 3.4 | 4.5 |
| 2031 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
- 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 143 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
Iraq vs Pakistan
Health
- Life expectancyIraq: 72.3 years in 2023Pakistan: 67.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityIraq: 2.2 per 100 live births in 2024Pakistan: 5.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityIraq: 19 per 1,000 live births in 2023Pakistan: 49.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterIraq: 59.7% in 2022Pakistan: 50.6% in 2022
- DepressionIraq: 3.89% in 2017Pakistan: 3.33% in 2017
- Suicide rateIraq: 4.1 per 100,000 people in 2017Pakistan: 4.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationIraq: 45.1 million people in 2023Pakistan: 248 million people in 2023
- Population growthIraq: 2.15% a year in 2023Pakistan: 1.48% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateIraq: 3.25 births per woman in 2023Pakistan: 3.61 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationIraq: 69.9% in 2025Pakistan: 39.5% in 2025
- Median ageIraq: 20.4 years in 2023Pakistan: 20.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overIraq: 3.4% in 2023Pakistan: 4.2% in 2023
- Net migration rateIraq: -0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023Pakistan: -6.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingIraq: 2.45% of GDP in 2025Pakistan: 2.91% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsIraq: $6.4B in 2025Pakistan: $11.5B in 2025
- Military spending per personIraq: $139 in 2025Pakistan: $47 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingIraq: 5.5% of government spending in 2025Pakistan: 13.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelIraq: 459,000 people in 2020Pakistan: 943,000 people in 2020
- National powerIraq: 0.54% of world capability in 2022Pakistan: 1.77% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersIraq: 4.4% of the labour force in 2020Pakistan: 1.25% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsIraq: 55 million TIV in 2025Pakistan: 706 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsIraq: 20 million TIV in 1989Pakistan: 127 million TIV in 2025