Iraq vs South Africa

Iraq
Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan
Upper middle income
Capital: Baghdad
Population
46M
GDP
$279.6B
South Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa
Upper middle income
Capital: Pretoria
Population
64M
GDP
$401.1B

POP 1.4x GDP 1.4x LE 6.1 yrs same-band UMC

Widest indicator spreads · Iraq vs South Africa

GDP Growth Rate134.6%Foreign Direct Investment130.5%Net Migration110.6%Poverty (< $2.15/day)97.1%Renewable Energy Consump…88.7%Forest Area86.4%Intentional Homicides78.4%Female Labor Participation77.9%
TIGHT pair: headers nearly match, so the chart is GDP Growth Rate rather than GDP scale.

Demographics: Population Density (Iraq, 50% spread)

Indicator Iraq South Africa Year
Population Density 103.8 52.1 2023
Population Ages 65+ 3.4% 6.7% 2024
Population Ages 0-14 36.6% 25.9% 2024
Population 46M 64M 2024

3 closer demographics rows sit on the Iraq and South Africa profiles; this pair keeps the steep spreads only.

Economy: GDP Growth Rate (South Africa, 135% spread)

Indicator Iraq South Africa Year
GDP Growth Rate -1.5% 0.5% 2024
Foreign Direct Investment $-7,648,900,000 $2.3B 2024
Government Debt (% of GDP) 27.4% 82.8% 2018
Unemployment Rate 15.3% 32.3% 2024

5 closer economy rows sit on the Iraq and South Africa profiles; this pair keeps the steep spreads only.

Health: Maternal Mortality Ratio (Iraq, 44% spread)

Indicator Iraq South Africa Year
Maternal Mortality Ratio 66 118 2023
Stunting Prevalence (under 5) 12.6% 21.3% 2018
Health Expenditure (% of GDP) 5.5% 8.9% 2023
Under-5 Mortality Rate 21.8 35.1 2024

3 closer health rows sit on the Iraq and South Africa profiles; this pair keeps the steep spreads only.

Education: School Enrollment (Secondary) (South Africa, 51% spread)

Indicator Iraq South Africa Year
School Enrollment (Secondary) 50.6% 104.1% 2007
School Enrollment (Tertiary) 15.6% 23.5% 2005

4 closer education rows sit on the Iraq and South Africa profiles; this pair keeps the steep spreads only.

Environment: Renewable Energy Consumption (South Africa, 89% spread)

Indicator Iraq South Africa Year
Renewable Energy Consumption 1.1% 9.7% 2021
Forest Area 1.9% 14.0% 2023
Freshwater Withdrawal 120.5% 47.1% 2022
Electric Power Consumption 1,377 3,247 2023

1 closer environment rows sit on the Iraq and South Africa profiles; this pair keeps the steep spreads only.

Infrastructure: Mobile Subscriptions (South Africa, 44% spread)

Indicator Iraq South Africa Year
Mobile Subscriptions 100.1 179.3 2024
Access to Sanitation 50.9% 73.8% 2024

3 closer infrastructure rows sit on the Iraq and South Africa profiles; this pair keeps the steep spreads only.

Social: Net Migration (South Africa, 111% spread)

Indicator Iraq South Africa Year
Net Migration -17,735 167K 2024
Poverty (< $2.15/day) 0.5% 17.4% 2023
Intentional Homicides 9.5 43.7 2013
Female Labor Participation 11.0% 49.8% 2024

2 closer social rows sit on the Iraq and South Africa profiles; this pair keeps the steep spreads only.

How to read this Iraq vs South Africa comparison

Iraq vs South Africa is a TIGHT pair on population/GDP scale (same-band UMC: UMC/UMC). Look past the near-parity headers to GDP Growth Rate (~135% spread); 47 WDI/WHO/ILO figures across 8 topics. Shared income tier makes small rate gaps more informative than totals. Figures may come from different reporting years; dollar values move with exchange rates; national averages conceal inequality. See our methodology.

Other curated pairs · TIGHT band

Indexable comparisons only (Module 42). Full picker with every country lives on /compare, not duplicated under every pair.

Iraq vs South Africa figures: World Bank Open Data and health rows: WHO Global Health Observatory. CC BY 4.0 · same-band UMC · TIGHT scale band.