HEAD TO HEAD
Iran vs Iraq
Verdict
Iran holds a 63–37 advantage over Iraq on the Relative Advantage Index, a clear margin.
The margin is driven by military spending (53% of the combined total, $7.4bn) and economic size (GDP) (63% of the combined total, $475bn).
1 factor — nuclear warheads — could not be scored because the figure is unpublished for at least one side. Those factors are excluded and the remaining weights renormalised, never substituted.
Factor by factor
| Factor | Iran | Share | Iraq | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Military spending SIPRI Milex | $7.4bn | 53%47% | $6.4bn | 33% |
Economic size (GDP) World Bank WDI | $475bn | 63%37% | $280bn | 27% |
Active personnel COW NMC | 610.0k | 76%24% | 193.0k | 20% |
Logistics & power projection OurAirports | 76 | 68%32% | 36 | 20% |
Shares are each side's portion of the combined total for that factor. Weights are renormalised across the factors both sides publish — see the methodology. Data read 2026-10-22.
