Iraq vs Pakistan
Iraq vs Pakistan: Government debt
Government debt in 2025: 52.8% of GDP in Iraq and 72.8% of GDP in Pakistan, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Pakistan, by 20 percentage points, or 1.38 times that in Iraq.
% of GDP · IMF
What the numbers say
- Pakistan has been higher since 2010, when it overtook Iraq.
- In 2025, Iraq ranked 76 and Pakistan ranked 35 of 149 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Iraq at 73.3% of GDP and Pakistan at 57.4% of GDP in 2031.
Every year
% of GDP · IMF
| Year | Iraq | Pakistan |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 52.8 | 72.8 |
| 2024 | 45.7 | 70.3 |
| 2023 | 42.1 | 78.5 |
| 2022 | 39 | 77.3 |
| 2021 | 54.7 | 74.8 |
| 2020 | 72.5 | 80.8 |
| 2019 | 41.7 | 78.7 |
| 2018 | 44.4 | 66.3 |
| 2017 | 55.9 | 62.1 |
| 2016 | 60.3 | 62.1 |
| 2015 | 48.3 | 59.1 |
| 2014 | 27.6 | 58.8 |
| 2013 | 32 | 59.2 |
| 2012 | 34.8 | 58.4 |
| 2011 | 40.7 | 56.2 |
| 2010 | 53.5 | 56.7 |
| 2009 | 87.4 | 54.6 |
| 2008 | 74.2 | 49.5 |
| 2007 | 117.1 | 44.2 |
| 2006 | 143.2 | 46.2 |
| 2005 | 227.3 | 47.9 |
| 2004 | 344.3 | 50.6 |
| 2003 | – | 56.3 |
| 2002 | – | 60.5 |
| 2001 | – | 65.2 |
| 2000 | – | 61.7 |
| 1999 | – | 60.7 |
| 1998 | – | 53.8 |
| 1997 | – | 52.8 |
| 1996 | – | 52.5 |
| 1995 | – | 52.3 |
| 1994 | – | 58.5 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | Iraq | Pakistan |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 71.1 | 69.9 |
| 2027 | 65.2 | 67.7 |
| 2028 | 62.9 | 64.5 |
| 2029 | 65.3 | 61.3 |
| 2030 | 68.7 | 59.6 |
| 2031 | 73.3 | 57.4 |
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
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