Iraq vs Saudi Arabia: Urban population
Urban population over time
- Iraq
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Iraq currently reports 32.89 million against 31.28 million in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 1.60 million.
That makes Iraq's figure about 1.1 times Saudi Arabia's.
Across all 66 years both countries report, Iraq has been ahead every year.
Iraq ranks 30th and Saudi Arabia ranks 32nd of 215 countries.
Iraq has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iraq | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.12 million | 1.13 million | 2.98 million | Iraq |
| 1970s | 7.00 million | 2.62 million | 4.38 million | Iraq |
| 1980s | 10.66 million | 5.79 million | 4.87 million | Iraq |
| 1990s | 13.91 million | 10.26 million | 3.65 million | Iraq |
| 2000s | 18.75 million | 16.31 million | 2.44 million | Iraq |
| 2010s | 25.45 million | 23.48 million | 1.97 million | Iraq |
| 2020s | 31.14 million | 28.15 million | 3.00 million | Iraq |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher urban population, Iraq or Saudi Arabia?
- Iraq, at 32.89 million against 31.28 million in Saudi Arabia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in urban population between Iraq and Saudi Arabia?
- 1.60 million, with Iraq ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iraq and Saudi Arabia?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Iraq and Saudi Arabia rank globally for urban population?
- Iraq ranks 30th and Saudi Arabia ranks 32nd of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Urban population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.