# Iraq and Kuwait compared

Iraq and Kuwait side by side: 41 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 4 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/irq-vs-kwt
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Iraq: 23 August 1921 — The Kingdom of Iraq is established under Faisal I
- Kuwait: c. 1752 — The heads of Kuwait's families choose Sabah I as sheikh

## Economy

| Metric | Iraq | Observed | Kuwait | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $280 B | 2024 | $160 B | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $6,074 | 2024 | $32,718 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | -1.5% | 2024 | -2.6% | 2024 |
| Inflation | -12.3% | 2024 | 2.9% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 70.7% | 2024 | 96.1% | 2023 |

## Society

| Metric | Iraq | Observed | Kuwait | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 46 m | 2024 | 4.9 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 72.4 yrs | 2024 | 84.6 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 69.9% | 2024 | 100.0% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 3.2 | 2024 | 1.6 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Iraq | Observed | Kuwait | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 39.0 | 2024 | 44.3 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 30.6 | 2024 | 70.9 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 29.9 | 2024 | 57.7 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 38.6 | 2024 | 61.2 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 33.6 | 2024 | 60.9 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 23.5 | 2024 | 52.3 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Iraq | Observed | Kuwait | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 5.5% | 2023 | 5.0% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 1.02 | 2022 | 2.27 | 2020 |
| Under-5 mortality | 21.8 | 2024 | 8.1 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 91.0% | 2024 | 98.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 59.8% | 2024 | 100.0% | 2024 |

## Education

| Metric | Iraq | Observed | Kuwait | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 84.1% | 2021 | 96.5% | 2020 |
| Primary enrolment | 104.6% | 2007 | 82.4% | 2021 |
| Secondary enrolment | 50.6% | 2007 | 95.4% | 2015 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 15.6% | 2005 | 51.9% | 2021 |
| Education spending | — | — | 6.4% | 2024 |

## Technology

| Metric | Iraq | Observed | Kuwait | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.1% | 2024 |
| Researchers (per million) | 164 | 2021 | 145 | 2024 |
| Internet users | 81.5% | 2024 | 100.0% | 2025 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 100 | 2024 | 168 | 2023 |
| High-tech exports | — | — | 5.8% | 2024 |

## Geography

| Metric | Iraq | Observed | Kuwait | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 434,130 km² | 2023 | 17,820 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 1.9% | 2023 | 0.4% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 21.8% | 2023 | 8.4% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 5.2 | 2024 | 23.7 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 1.1% | 2021 | 0.1% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Iraq | Observed | Kuwait | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 43.4% | 2021 | 29.3% | 2020 |
| Oil rents | 42.8% | 2021 | 27.6% | 2020 |
| Mineral rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2020 |
| Forest rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2020 |
| Electricity access | 100.0% | 2023 | 100.0% | 2023 |

## Military

| Metric | Iraq | Observed | Kuwait | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 2.4% | 2024 | 4.8% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $6.2 B | 2024 | $7.8 B | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 459,000 | 2020 | 25,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/IRQ.md and https://terralore.co/country/KWT.md.

## Entangled histories (4 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- 1913: **Kuwait's separate status confirmed** — Anglo-Ottoman negotiations recognized Kuwait as an autonomous district under British protection, distinguishing it from the Ottoman territories that would later form Iraq. (from the Kuwait chronicle; sources: Kuwait: History; Persian Gulf States: Country Studies (Kuwait))
- 2 August 1990: **Iraq invades and annexes Kuwait** — About one hundred thousand Iraqi troops overran Kuwait in hours; Saddam Hussein declared the country annexed, and the ruling family fled to Saudi Arabia. (from the Kuwait chronicle; sources: The Gulf War, 1991 (Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations); The First Gulf War (Short History))
- August-November 1990: **The UN condemns and authorizes force** — The Security Council passed Resolution 660 demanding withdrawal and Resolution 678 authorizing all necessary means to expel Iraq if it did not leave by 15 January 1991. (from the Kuwait chronicle; sources: The Gulf War, 1991 (Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations))
- 1990–1991: **Invasion of Kuwait and the Persian Gulf War** — Iraq invades and annexes Kuwait in August 1990; a United States-led coalition of many nations expels Iraqi forces in early 1991, after which Iraq is placed under severe international sanctions. (from the Iraq chronicle; sources: Persian Gulf War)

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/IRQ/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/KWT/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Iraq and Kuwait compared", terralore.co/compare/irq-vs-kwt, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.