Country Comparison

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Iran

Iraq

Kuwait

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Iran —

Iraq —

Kuwait —

Saudi Arabia —

United Arab Emirates —

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IRR …

IQD …

KWD …

SAR …

AED …

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Core Area Population GDP

Trade Import/Export Wealth Oil

Military Armed Forces

Society Religion Demographics

More Global Stats Drinks Olympics Health Historical ↗ Cost of Living Basic Information Military Strength Economy

Land Area

Saudi Arabia

2,149,690 km² Largest

Iran

1,648,195 km² 76.7% of largest

Iraq

438,317 km² 20.4% of largest

United Arab Emirates

83,600 km² 3.9% of largest

Kuwait

17,818 km² 0.8% of largest

Population

Iran

LARGEST

92.42M PEOPLE

92,417,681 56.1/km²

Iraq

50.9% OF LARGEST

47.02M PEOPLE

47,020,774 107.3/km²

Saudi Arabia

40.0% OF LARGEST

36.97M PEOPLE

36,973,555 17.2/km²

United Arab Emirates

12.5% OF LARGEST

11.51M PEOPLE

11,513,149 137.7/km²

Kuwait

5.3% OF LARGEST

4.87M PEOPLE

4,865,298 273.1/km²

Iran 92.42M

LARGEST 56.1/km²

Iraq 47.02M

50.9% of largest 107.3/km²

Saudi Arabia 36.97M

40.0% of largest 17.2/km²

United Arab Emirates 11.51M

12.5% of largest 137.7/km²

Kuwait 4.87M

5.3% of largest 273.1/km²

GDP

Saudi Arabia

LARGEST

$1.28T

United Arab Emirates

42.9% OF LARGEST

$547.2B

Iran

28.4% OF LARGEST

$362.68B

Iraq

19.9% OF LARGEST

$254.37B

Kuwait

12.3% OF LARGEST

$157.21B

Saudi Arabia $1.28T

LARGEST

United Arab Emirates $547.2B

42.9% of largest

Iran $362.68B

28.4% of largest

Iraq $254.37B

19.9% of largest

Kuwait $157.21B

12.3% of largest

Armed Forces

Active Personnel

Iran

LARGEST

575K TROOPS

Saudi Arabia

39.5% OF LARGEST

227K TROOPS

Iraq

33.6% OF LARGEST

193K TROOPS

United Arab Emirates

11.0% OF LARGEST

63K TROOPS

Kuwait

2.7% OF LARGEST

15.5K TROOPS

Iran 575Ktroops

LARGEST

Saudi Arabia 227Ktroops

39.5% of largest

Iraq 193Ktroops

33.6% of largest

United Arab Emirates 63Ktroops

11.0% of largest

Kuwait 15.5Ktroops

2.7% of largest

Air Force

Saudi Arabia

LARGEST

897 AIRCRAFT

United Arab Emirates

61.5% OF LARGEST

552 AIRCRAFT

Iran

61.4% OF LARGEST

551 AIRCRAFT

Iraq

16.6% OF LARGEST

149 AIRCRAFT

Kuwait

9.4% OF LARGEST

84 AIRCRAFT

Saudi Arabia 897aircraft

LARGEST

United Arab Emirates 552aircraft

61.5% of largest

Iran 551aircraft

61.4% of largest

Iraq 149aircraft

16.6% of largest

Kuwait 84aircraft

9.4% of largest

Naval Assets

Iran

LARGEST

398 VESSELS

United Arab Emirates

18.1% OF LARGEST

72 VESSELS

Iraq

15.1% OF LARGEST

60 VESSELS

Saudi Arabia

13.8% OF LARGEST

55 VESSELS

Kuwait

8.0% OF LARGEST

32 VESSELS

Iran 398vessels

LARGEST

United Arab Emirates 72vessels

18.1% of largest

Iraq 60vessels

15.1% of largest

Saudi Arabia 55vessels

13.8% of largest

Kuwait 32vessels

8.0% of largest

Full military comparison →

Wealth

Gold Reserves

Saudi Arabia

LARGEST

323.1 Metric Tonnes

Iraq

50.3% OF LARGEST

162.6 Metric Tonnes

Iran

46.6% OF LARGEST

150.6 Metric Tonnes

Kuwait

24.5% OF LARGEST

79.0 Metric Tonnes

United Arab Emirates

23.0% OF LARGEST

74.4 Metric Tonnes

See gold reserves over time

Foreign-Exchange Reserves

Saudi Arabia

LARGEST

$437B Reserves · excl. gold

United Arab Emirates

53.1% OF LARGEST

$232B Reserves · excl. gold

Iran

29.7% OF LARGEST

$130B Reserves · excl. gold

Iraq

19.9% OF LARGEST

$87B Reserves · excl. gold

Kuwait

10.1% OF LARGEST

$44B Reserves · excl. gold

See reserves over time

Billionaires

United Arab Emirates

MOST

18 billionaires

Saudi Arabia

83% OF MOST

15 billionaires

Iran

0% OF MOST

0 billionaires

Iraq

—

Kuwait

—

Oil

Proven Reserves

Saudi Arabia

LARGEST

267 Billion barrels

Iran

78.3% OF LARGEST

209 Billion barrels

United Arab Emirates

42.3% OF LARGEST

113 Billion barrels

Production & Consumption

Iran

NET EXPORTER

Production 3.8M b/d

Consumption 1.9M b/d

+1.9M b/d net

Saudi Arabia

NET EXPORTER

Production 11.0M b/d

Consumption 3.8M b/d

+7.2M b/d net

United Arab Emirates

NET EXPORTER

Production 3.7M b/d

Consumption 1.0M b/d

+2.8M b/d net

Trade (Import/Export)

Iran

$111.9B

Exports

$111.9B

Imports

$135.5B

Trade Balance

$-23.6B Trade Deficit

Iraq

$104.9B

Exports

$104.9B

Imports

$92.8B

Trade Balance

+$12.1B Trade Surplus

Kuwait

$95.5B

Exports

$95.5B

Imports

$63.4B

Trade Balance

+$32.1B Trade Surplus

Saudi Arabia

$360.9B

Exports

$360.9B

Imports

$317.0B

Trade Balance

+$43.9B Trade Surplus

United Arab Emirates

$558.4B

Exports

$558.4B

Imports

$481.9B

Trade Balance

+$76.6B Trade Surplus

See over time

Drinks per Person

Coffee kg / person / yr

Kuwait supply

5.8kg

United Arab Emirates consumption

3.5kg

Saudi Arabia consumption

1.0kg

Iraq supply

0.8kg

Iran consumption

0.5kg

Tea kg / person / yr

Kuwait supply

1.8kg

Iran consumption

1.5kg

United Arab Emirates consumption

1.0kg

Saudi Arabia consumption

0.9kg

Iraq supply

0.8kg

Beer litres / person / yr

United Arab Emirates consumption

Iraq supply

Iran consumption

Kuwait supply

Saudi Arabia supply

Wine litres / person / yr

United Arab Emirates consumption

Iraq supply

Iran consumption

Kuwait supply

Saudi Arabia consumption

Alcohol litres pure alcohol / person / yr

Iraq consumption

0.6L

United Arab Emirates consumption

0.6L

Saudi Arabia consumption

0.2L

Kuwait consumption

0.1L

Iran consumption

0.0L

Smoking % of adults 15+ who smoke

Iraq

19.9%

Kuwait

19.2%

Saudi Arabia

13.4%

United Arab Emirates

8.8%

Iran

7.8%

Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)

Olympic Medals

Iran

27 Gold

29 Silver

32 Bronze

88 Total Medals

☀ Summer: 88 ❄ Winter: 0

Saudi Arabia

0 Gold

2 Silver

2 Bronze

4 Total Medals

☀ Summer: 4 ❄ Winter: 0

Kuwait

0 Gold

0 Silver

3 Bronze

3 Total Medals

☀ Summer: 3 ❄ Winter: 0

United Arab Emirates

1 Gold

0 Silver

1 Bronze

2 Total Medals

☀ Summer: 2 ❄ Winter: 0

Iraq

0 Gold

0 Silver

1 Bronze

1 Total Medals

☀ Summer: 1 ❄ Winter: 0

Full Olympics comparison →

Religious Demographics

Religious Distribution

Religious Composition by Country

Iran

Iraq

Kuwait

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Age Demographics

Median Age

Kuwait

OLDEST

34.2 YEARS

10 30 50 70

United Arab Emirates

33.2 YEARS

10 30 50 70

Iran

32.4 YEARS

10 30 50 70

Saudi Arabia

31.8 YEARS

10 30 50 70

Iraq

YOUNGEST

21.2 YEARS

10 30 50 70

Age Distribution

Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)

Demographic Insights

Age Gap Kuwait is 13.0 years older (median) than Iraq

Youth Population Iraq has the highest youth population at 65% (under 30)

Elderly Population Iran has the highest elderly population at 12% (60+)

Global Statistics

Metric	Iran	Iraq	Kuwait	Saudi Arabia	United Arab Emirates
Travel & Mobility
Passport Power visa-free destinations	44	—	—	91	185
Tourist Arrivals per year	9.0M	—	—	27.4M	25.0M
Culture & Prestige
Nobel Laureates all-time	1	0	0	0	0
3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide	0	0	0	0	2
UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites	29	6	0	8	2

Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

Cost of Living

Metric All indices use New York City as base (100) Lower values indicate lower costs.	Iran	Iraq	Kuwait	Saudi Arabia	United Arab Emirates
Cost of Living Index	32.5	28.5	48.5	48.2	N/A
Rent Index	12.0	12.0	35.0	18.5	N/A
Groceries Index	28.0	25.0	45.0	45.0	N/A
Restaurant Price Index	25.0	22.0	42.0	40.5	N/A
Local Purchasing Power	30.0	25.0	85.0	95.0	N/A
Common Expenses Comparison
Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD)	$3	$4	$8	$7	N/A
Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD)	$12	$15	$40	$35	N/A
Monthly Rent - City Center (USD)	$350	$300	$1,000	$700	N/A
Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD)	$200	$200	$800	$450	N/A
Monthly Utilities (USD)	$50	$60	$150	$100	N/A
Internet (60 Mbps, USD)	$18	$25	$45	$55	N/A
Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD)	$10	$15	$35	$40	N/A

Saudi Arabia

1.0 2021

Want the long view?

GDP, population, reserves & trade for Iran vs Iraq vs Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia vs UAE — charted over the decades.

View Historical Data

Basic Information

Metric	Iran	Iraq	Kuwait	Saudi Arabia	United Arab Emirates
Population	92417681	47020774	4865298	36973555	11513149
Area (sq km)	1648195	438317	17818	2149690	83600
Capital	Tehran	Baghdad	Kuwait City	Riyadh	Abu Dhabi
Official Language	Persian (Farsi)	Arabic, Kurdish	Arabic	Arabic	Arabic
Currency	Iranian Rial (IRR)	Iraqi Dinar (IQD)	Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD)	Saudi Riyal (SAR)	United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED)
Government Type	Unitary Islamic republic	Federal parliamentary republic	Constitutional monarchy	Unitary Islamic absolute monarchy	Federal elective constitutional monarchy

Military Strength

Metric	Iran	Iraq	Kuwait	Saudi Arabia	United Arab Emirates
Active Personnel	575,000	193,000	15,500	227,000	63,000
Reserve Personnel	350,000	0	23,700	0	0
Total Military Personnel	925,000	193,000	39,200	227,000	63,000
Defense Budget (USD)	$19,600,000,000	$6,000,000,000	$7,300,000,000	$67,600,000,000	$22,755,000,000
Tanks	1,650	336	293	1,062	538
Armored Vehicles	2,500	1,592	789	5,472	2,000
Self-Propelled Artillery	292	48	106	224	181
Towed Artillery	2,030	138	0	260	93
Rocket Projectors	1,900	294	27	322	88

Economy

Metric	Iran	Iraq	Kuwait	Saudi Arabia	United Arab Emirates
GDP (USD)	$362,682,115,433	$254,367,293,538	$157,209,026,926	$1,276,942,933,333	$547,200,000,000
GDP Per Capita (USD)	$3,924	$5,410	$32,312	$34,537	$47,528
Unemployment Rate (%)	8.3%	15.5%	2.2%	3.0%	2.2%
GINI Index (Income Inequality)	35.9	29.8	30.8	45.9	26.4
Currency	Iranian Rial (IRR)	Iraqi Dinar (IQD)	Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD)	Saudi Riyal (SAR)	United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED)
Loading current exchange rates…

Interesting Comparisons & Trivia

Did You Know?

Saudi Arabia is 120.6 times larger in area than Kuwait. That's a massive difference!

Iran has 19.0 times more people than Kuwait.

United Arab Emirates has the highest GDP per capita at $47,528 among the selected countries.

Saudi Arabia has the largest economy with a GDP of $1.28 trillion.

Iran has the largest active military personnel with 575,000 troops.

Saudi Arabia has the largest air force with 897 aircraft.

Iran has the largest navy with 398 vessels.

Iran vs Iraq vs Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia vs United Arab Emirates: Key Comparisons

Economy: Saudi Arabia leads with a GDP of $1.3T, 8.1x larger than Kuwait's $157B.

Population: Iran has the largest population at 92M, 19.0x larger than Kuwait's 5M.

Area: Saudi Arabia is the largest at 2,149,690 km², 120.6x larger than Kuwait.

Military: Iran has the most active troops at 580Thousand, vs Kuwait's 16Thousand.

Life Expectancy: Kuwait leads at 85 years; Iraq is lowest at 72 years.

Trade: United Arab Emirates runs the largest surplus at $77B; Iran has the largest deficit at $24B.

Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research. Last updated July 2026. Sources & methodology