Iraq vs Yemen: Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas
Iraq
5.26 million people
in 2020
Yemen
5.17 million people
in 2020
Iraq rank
57th
Yemen rank
58th
Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas over time
- Iraq
- Yemen
How they compare
Iraq currently reports 5.26 million people against 5.17 million people in Yemen, a difference of 90,070 people.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Yemen ahead.
Iraq ranks 57th and Yemen ranks 58th of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Iraq averaged higher in 4 and Yemen in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iraq | Yemen | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.44 million people | 2.51 million people | 61,560 people | Yemen |
| 1960s | 2.74 million people | 2.86 million people | 123,175 people | Yemen |
| 1970s | 3.12 million people | 3.33 million people | 208,770 people | Yemen |
| 1980s | 3.79 million people | 3.77 million people | 24,540 people | Iraq |
| 1990s | 4.39 million people | 4.28 million people | 109,325 people | Iraq |
| 2000s | 4.77 million people | 4.66 million people | 110,635 people | Iraq |
| 2010s | 4.97 million people | 5.00 million people | 22,580 people | Yemen |
| 2020s | 5.26 million people | 5.17 million people | 90,070 people | Iraq |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas, Iraq or Yemen?
- Iraq, at 5.26 million people against 5.17 million people in Yemen as of 2020.
- What is the difference in number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas between Iraq and Yemen?
- 90,070 people, with Iraq ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iraq and Yemen?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Iraq and Yemen rank globally for number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Iraq ranks 57th and Yemen ranks 58th of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of people living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Estimated number of people living in rural areas. Rural areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.