1. Diverging pathsMalaysia and Iraq

   Malaysia and Iraq: similar GDP per person in 1990, 2.9 times apart in 2025

   MalaysiaIraq

   Output per person a year, in 2021 dollars adjusted for price differences: $12,000 in Malaysia and $10,700 in Iraq in 1990; $35,500 and $12,200 in 2025. Malaysia grew 3-fold; Iraq rose 14%.

   Source: World Bank (WDI, ITU and UNESCO data); UN WPP 2024Open on the chart →

More findings

• Iraq: 8 in 10 are online, but only 5 in 10 have toilet waste that is safely treated
• Iraq: the economy “grew” 61% in six months, retroactively
• Iraq: the decline of 2023 turned into growth, after the fact
• Malaysia: in 2020–2023 net migration was higher than all 12 UN projections assumed
• Iraq: the Shia share is an estimate range
• Malaysia: eighth-graders scored 108 points lower in maths in 2023 than in 1999

All findings →