# Iraq and Türkiye compared

Iraq and Türkiye side by side: 40 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 1 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/irq-vs-tur
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
- Türkiye: c. 1299 — Osman I founds the Ottoman beylik in Bithynia

## Economy

| Metric | Iraq | Observed | Türkiye | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $280 B | 2024 | $1.36 T | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $6,074 | 2024 | $15,893 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | -1.5% | 2024 | 3.3% | 2024 |
| Inflation | -12.3% | 2024 | 58.5% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 70.7% | 2024 | 54.6% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Iraq | Observed | Türkiye | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 46 m | 2024 | 86 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 72.4 yrs | 2024 | 77.4 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 69.9% | 2024 | 89.3% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 3.2 | 2024 | 1.5 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Iraq | Observed | Türkiye | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 39.0 | 2024 | 37.7 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 30.6 | 2024 | 49.3 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 29.9 | 2024 | 50.0 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 38.6 | 2024 | 51.5 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 33.6 | 2024 | 42.4 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 23.5 | 2024 | 36.5 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Iraq | Observed | Türkiye | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 5.5% | 2023 | 4.3% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 1.02 | 2022 | 2.24 | 2022 |
| Under-5 mortality | 21.8 | 2024 | 9.6 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 91.0% | 2024 | 95.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 59.8% | 2024 | — | — |

## Education

| Metric | Iraq | Observed | Türkiye | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 84.1% | 2021 | 97.3% | 2021 |
| Primary enrolment | 104.6% | 2007 | 102.4% | 2023 |
| Secondary enrolment | 50.6% | 2007 | 118.4% | 2023 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 15.6% | 2005 | 105.9% | 2023 |
| Education spending | — | — | 3.1% | 2022 |

## Technology

| Metric | Iraq | Observed | Türkiye | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 0.0% | 2021 | 1.4% | 2023 |
| Researchers (per million) | 164 | 2021 | 2,645 | 2023 |
| Internet users | 81.5% | 2024 | 89.8% | 2025 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 100 | 2024 | 108 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | — | — | 5.1% | 2024 |

## Geography

| Metric | Iraq | Observed | Türkiye | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 434,130 km² | 2023 | 769,630 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 1.9% | 2023 | 29.5% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 21.8% | 2023 | 50.1% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 5.2 | 2024 | 5.4 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 1.1% | 2021 | 12.0% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Iraq | Observed | Türkiye | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 43.4% | 2021 | 0.8% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 42.8% | 2021 | 0.1% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.6% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 0.0% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 100.0% | 2023 | 100.0% | 2023 |
| Iron ore | — | — | 18 Mt | 2025 |
| Cobalt (mined) | — | — | 1,900 t | 2025 |
| Bauxite | — | — | 3.8 Mt | 2025 |
| Phosphate rock | — | — | 1.2 Mt | 2025 |

## Military

| Metric | Iraq | Observed | Türkiye | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 2.4% | 2024 | 1.9% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $6.2 B | 2024 | $25 B | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 459,000 | 2020 | 512,000 | 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/TUR.md.

## Entangled histories (1 event)

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.

- 1638 CE: **Ottoman conquest of Baghdad** — The Ottoman Empire takes definitive control of Baghdad from Safavid Persia, ruling Mesopotamia for nearly three centuries as the provinces of Mosul, Baghdad and Basra. (from the Iraq chronicle; sources: Iraq — History)

## 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
- Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center

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

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