Iraq vs United States: Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government
Iraq
97.2%
in 2025
United States
97.5%
in 2025
Iraq rank
69th
United States rank
68th
Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government over time
- Iraq
- United States
How they compare
United States currently reports 97.5% against 97.2% in Iraq, a difference of 0.3%.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 225 shared years of data; in 1789 it was United States ahead.
Iraq ranks 69th and United States ranks 68th of 174 countries.
Across the 24 decades both report, Iraq averaged higher in 2 and United States in 22.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iraq | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1780s | 72.5% | 95.0% | 22.5% | United States |
| 1790s | 73.5% | 95.0% | 21.5% | United States |
| 1800s | 78.5% | 63.5% | 15.0% | Iraq |
| 1810s | 69.5% | 60.5% | 9.0% | Iraq |
| 1820s | 67.5% | 71.0% | 3.5% | United States |
| 1830s | 59.5% | 77.5% | 18.0% | United States |
| 1840s | 59.5% | 78.0% | 18.5% | United States |
| 1850s | 59.5% | 80.0% | 20.5% | United States |
| 1860s | 59.5% | 84.0% | 24.5% | United States |
| 1870s | 56.5% | 90.0% | 33.5% | United States |
| 1880s | 49.0% | 90.0% | 41.0% | United States |
| 1890s | 72.8% | 95.0% | 22.2% | United States |
| 1900s | 75.1% | 98.5% | 23.4% | United States |
| 1910s | 63.3% | 98.5% | 35.2% | United States |
| 1930s | 93.9% | 98.5% | 4.6% | United States |
| 1940s | 93.7% | 98.5% | 4.8% | United States |
| 1950s | 94.8% | 98.5% | 3.7% | United States |
| 1960s | 89.6% | 98.5% | 9.0% | United States |
| 1970s | 92.6% | 98.5% | 6.0% | United States |
| 1980s | 91.5% | 98.5% | 7.0% | United States |
| 1990s | 81.7% | 98.5% | 16.8% | United States |
| 2000s | 72.2% | 98.5% | 26.4% | United States |
| 2010s | 74.0% | 98.2% | 24.2% | United States |
| 2020s | 89.4% | 97.5% | 8.1% | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher percentage of territory effectively controlled by government, Iraq or United States?
- United States, at 97.5% against 97.2% in Iraq as of 2025.
- What is the difference in percentage of territory effectively controlled by government between Iraq and United States?
- 0.3%, with United States ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iraq and United States?
- 225 years are reported by both, from 1789 to 2025.
- How do Iraq and United States rank globally for percentage of territory effectively controlled by government?
- Iraq ranks 69th and United States ranks 68th of 174 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Central estimate of the percentage of territory controlled by the government.