Iraq vs Syria
Iraq vs Syria: Military share of state spending
Military share of state spending: 5.5% of government spending in Iraq in 2025 and 13.6% of government spending in Syria in 2010, by SIPRI estimates. In 2010 the value was higher in Syria, by 8.2 percentage points, or 2.49 times that in Iraq.
% of government spending · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Syria has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2004.
Every year
% of government spending · SIPRI
| Year | Iraq | Syria |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5.5 | – |
| 2024 | 5.3 | – |
| 2023 | 5.1 | – |
| 2022 | 4.8 | – |
| 2021 | 6.2 | – |
| 2020 | 7.4 | – |
| 2019 | 9.3 | – |
| 2018 | 8.8 | – |
| 2017 | 11 | – |
| 2016 | 8.4 | – |
| 2015 | 12.5 | – |
| 2014 | 6.7 | – |
| 2013 | 6.9 | – |
| 2012 | 4.4 | – |
| 2011 | 5.3 | – |
| 2010 | 5.5 | 13.6 |
| 2009 | 4.7 | 15.1 |
| 2008 | 4.1 | 15.5 |
| 2007 | 5.1 | 15.9 |
| 2006 | 3.8 | 16.5 |
| 2005 | 3.5 | 17.8 |
| 2004 | 1.8 | 17.7 |
| 2003 | – | 19.1 |
| 2002 | – | 17.4 |
| 2001 | – | 18.9 |
| 2000 | – | 19 |
| 1999 | – | 20.7 |
| 1998 | – | 20.2 |
| 1997 | – | 20.3 |
| 1996 | – | 21.8 |
| 1995 | – | 23.4 |
| 1994 | – | 24.3 |
| 1993 | – | 24.6 |
| 1992 | – | 26.3 |
| 1991 | – | 30.4 |
| 1990 | – | 24.3 |
- Estimate
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The part of everything the government spends that goes on its armed forces and defence, 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 150 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 Syria
Health
- Life expectancyIraq: 72.3 years in 2023Syria: 72.1 years in 2023
- Child mortalityIraq: 2.2 per 100 live births in 2024Syria: 1.8 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityIraq: 19 per 1,000 live births in 2023Syria: 16.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionIraq: 3.89% in 2017Syria: 3.58% in 2017
- Suicide rateIraq: 4.1 per 100,000 people in 2017Syria: 3.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationIraq: 45.1 million people in 2023Syria: 23.6 million people in 2023
- Population growthIraq: 2.15% a year in 2023Syria: 4.92% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateIraq: 3.25 births per woman in 2023Syria: 2.71 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationIraq: 69.9% in 2025Syria: 72.1% in 2025
- Median ageIraq: 20.4 years in 2023Syria: 22.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overIraq: 3.4% in 2023Syria: 4.7% in 2023
- Net migration rateIraq: -0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023Syria: 32.1 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingIraq: 2.45% of GDP in 2025Syria: 4.06% of GDP in 2010
- Military spending per personIraq: $139 in 2025Syria: $110 in 2011
- Armed forces personnelIraq: 459,000 people in 2020Syria: 269,000 people in 2020
- National powerIraq: 0.54% of world capability in 2022Syria: 0.29% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersIraq: 4.4% of the labour force in 2020Syria: 5.44% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsIraq: 55 million TIV in 2025Syria: 2 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsIraq: 20 million TIV in 1989Syria: 30 million TIV in 2010