2022 Edition

Background

Formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq was occupied by the United Kingdom during World War I and was declared a League of Nations mandate under UK administration in 1920. Iraq attained its independence as a kingdom in 1932. It was proclaimed a "republic" in 1958 after a coup overthrew the monarchy, but in actuality, a series of strongmen ruled the country until 2003. The last was SADDAM Husayn from 1979 to 2003. Territorial disputes with Iran led to an inconclusive and costly eight-year war (1980-88). In August 1990, Iraq seized Kuwait but was expelled by US-led UN coalition forces during the Gulf War of January-February 1991. After Iraq's expulsion, the UN Security Council (UNSC) required Iraq to scrap all weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles and to allow UN verification inspections. Continued Iraqi noncompliance with UNSC resolutions led to the Second Gulf War in March 2003 and the ouster of the SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led forces. In October 2005, Iraqis approved a constitution in a national referendum and, pursuant to this document, elected a 275-member Council of Representatives (COR) in December 2005. The COR approved most cabinet ministers in May 2006, marking the transition to Iraq's first constitutional government in nearly a half century. Iraq held elections for provincial councils in all governorates - except for Iraq's Kurdistan Region and Kirkuk - in January 2009 and in April and June 2013, and has repeatedly postponed the next provincial elections, originally planned for April 2017. Iraq has held four national legislative elections since 2006, most recently in October 2021 when 329 legislators were elected to the COR. The acting Iraqi National Intelligence Service Director General Mustafa al-KADHIMI became prime minister in May 2020 after the previous prime minister resigned in late 2019 because of widespread protests demanding more employment opportunities and an end to corruption. His mandate as prime minister was to guide Iraq toward an early national legislative election, which was held in October 2021. Between 2014 and 2017, Iraq was engaged in a military campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) to recapture territory lost in the western and northern portion of the country. Iraqi and allied forces recaptured Mosul, the country's second-largest city, in 2017 and drove ISIS out of its other urban strongholds. In December 2017, then-Prime Minister Haydar al-ABADI publicly declared victory against ISIS while continuing operations against the group's residual presence in rural areas. Also in late 2017, ABADI responded to an independence referendum held by the Kurdistan Regional Government by ordering Iraqi forces to take control of disputed territories across central and northern Iraq that were previously occupied and governed by Kurdish forces.

Area

land

437,367 sq km

total

438,317 sq km

water

950 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly more than three times the size of New York state

Climate

mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq

Coastline

58 km

Elevation

highest point

Cheekha Dar (Kurdish for "Black Tent") 3,611 m

lowest point

Persian Gulf 0 m

mean elevation

312 m

Geographic coordinates

33 00 N, 44 00 E

Geography - note

strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of the Persian Gulf

Irrigated land

35,250 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

border countries

Iran 1,599 km; Jordan 179 km; Kuwait 254 km; Saudi Arabia 811 km; Syria 599 km; Turkey 367 km

total

3,809 km

Land use

agricultural land

18.1% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 8.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0.5% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 9.2% (2018 est.)

forest

1.9% (2018 est.)

other

80% (2018 est.)

Location

Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait

Major aquifers

Arabian Aquifer System

Major lakes (area sq km)

fresh water lake(s)

Lake Hammar - 1,940 sq km

Major rivers (by length in km)

Euphrates river mouth (shared with Turkey[s], Syria, and Iran) - 3,596 km; Tigris river mouth (shared with Turkey[s], Syria, and Iran) - 1,950 km; the Tigris and Euphrates join to form the Shatt al Arabnote – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Indian Ocean drainage: (Persian Gulf) Tigris and Euphrates (918,044 sq km)

Map references

Middle East

Maritime claims

continental shelf

not specified

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

dust storms; sandstorms; floods

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur

Population distribution

population is concentrated in the north, center, and eastern parts of the country, with many of the larger urban agglomerations found along extensive parts of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; much of the western and southern areas are either lightly populated or uninhabited

Terrain

mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey

Age structure

0-14 years

37.02% (male 7,349,868/female 7,041,405)

15-24 years

19.83% (male 3,918,433/female 3,788,157)

25-54 years

35.59% (male 6,919,569/female 6,914,856)

55-64 years

4.23% (male 805,397/female 839,137)

65 years and over

3.33% (male 576,593/female 719,240) (2020 est.)

Alcohol consumption per capita

beer

0.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

0.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Birth rate

24.7 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)

Child marriage

women married by age 15

7.2%

women married by age 18

27.9% (2018 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

3.9% (2018)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

52.8% (2018)

Current health expenditure

4.5% of GDP (2019)

Death rate

3.9 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

5.8

potential support ratio

17.1 (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio

71

youth dependency ratio

65.2

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: 97.4% of population

improved: total

total: 99.3% of population

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 2.6% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0.7% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population

Education expenditures

4.7% of GDP (2016)

Ethnic groups

Arab 75-80%, Kurdish 15-20%, other 5% (includes Turkmen, Yezidi, Shabak, Kaka'i, Bedouin, Romani, Assyrian, Circassian, Sabaean-Mandaean, Persian)

note

note: data is a 1987 government estimate; no more recent reliable numbers are available

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

Hospital bed density

1.3 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Infant mortality rate

female

17.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2022 est.)

male

21.34 deaths/1,000 live births

total

19.62 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Languages

Arabic (official), Kurdish (official), Turkmen (a Turkish dialect), Syriac (Neo-Aramaic), and Armenian are official in areas where native speakers of these languages constitute a majority of the population

major-language sample(s)

كتاب حقائق العالم، أحسن مصدر للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

female

75.15 years (2022 est.)

male

71.3 years

total population

73.18 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

79.9% (2017)

male

91.2%

total population

85.6%

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk

intermediate (2020)

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

note

note: widespread ongoing transmission of a respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is occurring throughout Iraq; as of 9 December 2022, Iraq has reported a total of 2,463,296 cases of COVID-19 or 6,124.18 cumulative cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 population with a total of 25,363 cumulative deaths or a rate of 63.06 cumulative deaths per 100,000 population; as of 29 November 2022, 25.41% of the population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Major urban areas - population

7.711 million BAGHDAD (capital), 1.792 million Mosul, 1.448 million Basra, 1.075 million Kirkuk, 958,000 Najaf, 897,000 Erbil (2023)

Maternal mortality ratio

79 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Median age

female

21.6 years (2020 est.)

male

20.8 years

total

21.2 years

Nationality

adjective

Iraqi

noun

Iraqi(s)

Net migration rate

-0.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

30.4% (2016)

Physicians density

0.97 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Population

40,462,701 (2022 est.)

Population distribution

population is concentrated in the north, center, and eastern parts of the country, with many of the larger urban agglomerations found along extensive parts of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; much of the western and southern areas are either lightly populated or uninhabited

Population growth rate

2% (2022 est.)

Religions

Muslim (official) 95-98% (Shia 61-64%, Sunni 29-34%), Christian 1% (includes Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Assyrian Church of the East), other 1-4% (2015 est.)

note

note: the last census in Iraq was in 1997; while there has been voluntary relocation of many Christian families to northern Iraq, the overall Christian population has decreased at least 50% and perhaps as high as 90% since the fall of the SADDAM Husayn regime in 2003, according to US Embassy estimates, with many fleeing to Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural

rural: 100% of population

improved: total

total: 100% of population

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 0% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years

1 male(s)/female

55-64 years

0.97 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.65 male(s)/female

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

1.01 male(s)/female (2022 est.)

Tobacco use

female

1.8% (2020 est.)

male

35.1% (2020 est.)

total

18.5% (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.25 children born/woman (2022 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

2.91% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

71.6% of total population (2023)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

63.3% (2017)

male

22%

total

25.6%

Administrative divisions

18 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah (Arabic); parezgakan, singular - parezga (Kurdish)); 'Al Anbar; Al Basrah; Al Muthanna; Al Qadisiyah (Ad Diwaniyah); An Najaf; Arbil (Erbil) (Arabic), Hewler (Kurdish); As Sulaymaniyah (Arabic), Slemani (Kurdish); Babil; Baghdad; Dahuk (Arabic), Dihok (Kurdish); Dhi Qar; Diyala; Karbala'; Kirkuk; Maysan; Ninawa; Salah ad Din; Wasit

note

note: Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government administers Arbil, Dahuk, and As Sulaymaniyah (as Hewler, Dihok, and Slemani respectively)

Capital

etymology

although the origin of the name is disputed, it likely has compound Persian roots with bagh and dad meaning "god" and "given" respectively to create the meaning of "bestowed by God"

geographic coordinates

33 20 N, 44 24 E

name

Baghdad

time difference

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

citizenship by birth

no

citizenship by descent only

at least one parent must be a citizen of Iraq

dual citizenship recognized

yes

residency requirement for naturalization

10 years

Constitution

amendments

proposed by the president of the republic and the Council of Minsters collectively, or by one fifth of the Council of Representatives members; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Council of Representatives, approval by referendum, and ratification by the president; passage of amendments to articles on citizen rights and liberties requires two-thirds majority vote of Council of Representatives members after two successive electoral terms, approval in a referendum, and ratification by the president

history

several previous; latest adopted by referendum 15 October 2005

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Iraq

conventional short form

Iraq

etymology

the name probably derives from "Uruk" (Biblical "Erech"), the ancient Sumerian and Babylonian city on the Euphrates River

former

Mesopotamia, Mandatory Iraq, Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq

local long form

Jumhuriyat al-Iraq/Komar-i Eraq

local short form

Al Iraq/Eraq

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Alina L. ROMANOWSKI (since 2 June 2022)

email address and website

BaghdadACS@state.govhttps://iq.usembassy.gov/

embassy

Al-Kindi Street, International Zone, Baghdad; note - consulate in Al Basrah closed as of 28 September 2018

mailing address

6060 Baghdad Place, Washington DC  20521-6060

telephone

0760-030-3000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

3421 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

chief of mission

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Mohammed Husham Malik AL FITYAN (since 22 March 2022)

consulate(s) general

Detroit, Los Angeles

email address and website

http://www.iraqiembassy.us/

FAX

[1] (202) 333-1129

telephone

[1] (202) 742-1600

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, approved by Council of Representatives

chief of state

President Abdul Latif RASHID (since 13 October 2022; vice presidents (vacant)

election results

2022: COR vote in first round - Abdul Latif RASHID (PUK) 157, Barham SALIH (PUK) 99; Abdul Latif RASHID elected president in second round - Abdul latif RASHID 167, Barham SALIH 992018: COR vote in first round - Barham SALIH (PUK) 165, Fuad HUSAYN (KDP) 90; Barham SALIH elected president in second round - Barham SALIH 219, Fuad HUSAYN 22; note - the COR vote on 1 October 2018 failed due to a lack of quorum, and a new session was held on 2 October 20182014:  Fuad MASUM elected president in first round; COR vote - Fuad MASUM (PUK) 211, Barham SALIH (PUK) 17; Haydar al-ABADI (Da'wa Party) approved as prime minister

elections/appointments

president indirectly elected by Council of Representatives (COR) to serve a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); COR parliamentary election for president last held on 13 October 2022 (next to be held in 2026)

head of government

Prime Minister-Designate Mohammed Shia al-SUDANI (since 13 October 2022)

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; the Takbir (Arabic expression meaning "God is great") in green Arabic script is centered in the white band; the band colors derive from the Arab Liberation flag and represent oppression (black), overcome through bloody struggle (red), to be replaced by a bright future (white); the Council of Representatives approved this flag in 2008 as a compromise replacement for the Ba'thist SADDAM-era flag

note

note: similar to the flag of Syria, which has two stars but no script; Yemen, which has a plain white band; and that of Egypt, which has a golden Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band

Government type

federal parliamentary republic

Independence

3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration); note - on 28 June 2004 the Coalition Provisional Authority transferred sovereignty to the Iraqi Interim Government

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

International organization participation

ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, CICA, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

Federal Supreme Court or FSC (consists of 9 judges); note - court jurisdiction limited to constitutional issues, application of federal laws, ratification of election results for the COR, judicial competency disputes, and disputes between regions or governorates and the central government; Court of Cassation (consists of a court president, 5 vice presidents, and at least 24 judges)

judge selection and term of office

Federal Supreme Court judges nominated by the HJC President, the FSC Chief Justice, the Public Prosecutor's Office chief, and the head of the Judicial Oversight Commission; FSC members required to retire at age 72; Court of Cassation judges appointed by the HJC and confirmed by the Council of Representatives to serve until retirement nominally at age 63, but can be extended to age 66 by the HJC

subordinate courts

Courts of Appeal (governorate level); civil courts, including first instance, personal status, labor, and customs; criminal courts including felony, misdemeanor, investigative, major crimes, juvenile, and traffic courts

Legal system

mixed legal system of civil and Islamic law

Legislative branch

description

unicameral Council of Representatives of Iraq (COR) or Majlis an-Nuwwab al-Iraqiyy (329 seats; 320 members directly elected in 83 multi-seat constituencies by single nontransferable vote, 9 seats reserved for minorities - 5 for Christians, 1 each for Sabaean-Mandaeans, Yazidis, Shabaks, Fayli Kurds, and 25% of seats allocated to women; members serve 4-year terms); note - in late 2020, the COR approved an electoral law, replacing the proportional representation voting system with the single non-transferable system

election results

percent of vote by party/coalition - NA; seats by party/coalition - Sadrist Bloc 73, National Progress Alliance 37, State of Law Coalition 33, Kurdish Democratic Party 31, Al Fatah Alliance 17, Kurdistan Alliance 17, Al Iraq Alliance 14, New Generation Movement 14, Ishraqet Konoon 6, Tasmin Alliance 5, Babylon Movement 4, National Contract Alliance 4, National State Forces Alliance 4, other 22, independent 43; composition - men 234, women 95, percent of women 28.9%

elections

last held on 10 October 2021 (next to be held in October 2025)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Ibrahim TOUQAN/Mohammad FLAYFEL

name

"Mawtini" (My Homeland)

note

note: adopted 2004; following the ouster of SADDAM Husayn, Iraq adopted "Mawtini," a popular folk song throughout the Arab world; also serves as an unofficial anthem of the Palestinian people

National heritage

selected World Heritage Site locales

Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat) (c); Babylon (c); Erbil Citadel (c); Hatra (c); Samarra Archaeological City (c); The Ahwar (Marshland) of Southern Iraq: Refuge of Biodiversity and the Relict Landscape of the Mesopotamian Cities (m)

total World Heritage Sites

6 (5 cultural, 1 mixed)

National holiday

Independence Day, 3 October (1932); Republic Day, 14 July (1958)

National symbol(s)

golden eagle; national colors: red, white, black

Political parties and leaders

Al Fatah Alliance [Hadi al-AMIRI]Azm Alliance [Khamis al-KHANJAR]Babylon Movement [Rayan al-KILDANI]ImtidadIshraqet Konoon [Jaafar AZIZ]Kurdistan Democratic Party or KDP [Masoud BARZANI]National Contract Alliance [Falih al-FAYYADH]National State Forces Alliance [Ammar al-HAKIM]National Wisdom Trend [Ammar al-HAKIM]New Generation Movement or Naway Nwe [SHASWAR Abd al-Wahid Qadir]Patriotic Union of Kurdistan or PUK [Bafel TALABANI]Sadrist Movement [Muqtada al-SADR]State of Law Coalition [Nuri al-MALIKI]Taqadum or Progress Party [Muhammad al-HALBUSI]Tasmin Alliance [Sarah al-SALIHI]numerous smaller independent, religious, local, tribal, and minority parties

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agricultural products

wheat, barley, dates, tomatoes, rice, maize, grapes, potatoes, rice, watermelons

Budget

expenditures

76.82 billion (2017 est.)

revenues

68.71 billion (2017 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-4.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Credit ratings

Fitch rating

B- (2015)

Moody's rating

Caa1 (2017)

note

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

Standard & Poors rating

B- (2015)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2016

-$13.38 billion (2016 est.)

Current account balance 2017

$4.344 billion (2017 est.)

Debt - external

Debt - external 31 December 2016

$64.16 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Debt - external 31 December 2017

$73.02 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

Economic overview

Iraq's GDP growth slowed to 1.1% in 2017, a marked decline compared to the previous two years as domestic consumption and investment fell because of civil violence and a sluggish oil market. The Iraqi Government received its third tranche of funding from its 2016 Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) with the IMF in August 2017, which is intended to stabilize its finances by encouraging improved fiscal management, needed economic reform, and expenditure reduction. Additionally, in late 2017 Iraq received more than $1.4 billion in financing from international lenders, part of which was generated by issuing a $1 billion bond for reconstruction and rehabilitation in areas liberated from ISIL. Investment and key sector diversification are crucial components to Iraq’s long-term economic development and require a strengthened business climate with enhanced legal and regulatory oversight to bolster private-sector engagement. The overall standard of living depends on global oil prices, the central government passage of major policy reforms, a stable security environment post-ISIS, and the resolution of civil discord with the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG).   Iraq's largely state-run economy is dominated by the oil sector, which provides roughly 85% of government revenue and 80% of foreign exchange earnings, and is a major determinant of the economy's fortunes. Iraq's contracts with major oil companies have the potential to further expand oil exports and revenues, but Iraq will need to make significant upgrades to its oil processing, pipeline, and export infrastructure to enable these deals to reach their economic potential.   In 2017, Iraqi oil exports from northern fields were disrupted following a KRG referendum that resulted in the Iraqi Government reasserting federal control over disputed oil fields and energy infrastructure in Kirkuk. The Iraqi government and the KRG dispute the role of federal and regional authorities in the development and export of natural resources. In 2007, the KRG passed an oil law to develop IKR oil and gas reserves independent of the federal government. The KRG has signed about 50 contracts with foreign energy companies to develop its reserves, some of which lie in territories taken by Baghdad in October 2017. The KRG is able to unilaterally export oil from the fields it retains control of through its own pipeline to Turkey, which Baghdad claims is illegal. In the absence of a national hydrocarbons law, the two sides have entered into five provisional oil- and revenue-sharing deals since 2009, all of which collapsed.   Iraq is making slow progress enacting laws and developing the institutions needed to implement economic policy, and political reforms are still needed to assuage investors' concerns regarding the uncertain business climate. The Government of Iraq is eager to attract additional foreign direct investment, but it faces a number of obstacles, including a tenuous political system and concerns about security and societal stability. Rampant corruption, outdated infrastructure, insufficient essential services, skilled labor shortages, and antiquated commercial laws stifle investment and continue to constrain growth of private, nonoil sectors. Under the Iraqi constitution, some competencies relevant to the overall investment climate are either shared by the federal government and the regions or are devolved entirely to local governments. Investment in the IKR operates within the framework of the Kurdistan Region Investment Law (Law 4 of 2006) and the Kurdistan Board of Investment, which is designed to provide incentives to help economic development in areas under the authority of the KRG.   Inflation has remained under control since 2006. However, Iraqi leaders remain hard-pressed to translate macroeconomic gains into an improved standard of living for the Iraqi populace. Unemployment remains a problem throughout the country despite a bloated public sector. Overregulation has made it difficult for Iraqi citizens and foreign investors to start new businesses. Corruption and lack of economic reforms - such as restructuring banks and developing the private sector – have inhibited the growth of the private sector.

Exchange rates

Currency

Iraqi dinars (IQD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2013

1,213.72 (2013 est.)

Exchange rates 2014

1,167.63 (2014 est.)

Exchange rates 2015

1,182 (2015 est.)

Exchange rates 2016

1,182 (2016 est.)

Exchange rates 2017

1,184 (2017 est.)

Exports

Exports 2018

$91.93 billion (2018 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports 2019

$88.9 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports 2020

$50.61 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports - commodities

crude petroleum, refined petroleum, gold, dates, petroleum coke (2019)

Exports - partners

China 26%, India 24%, South Korea 9%, United States 8%, Italy 6%, Greece 6% (2019)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP - composition, by end use

exports of goods and services

32.5% (2016 est.)

government consumption

22.9% (2016 est.)

household consumption

50.4% (2013 est.)

imports of goods and services

-40.9% (2016 est.)

investment in fixed capital

20.6% (2016 est.)

investment in inventories

0% (2016 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

3.3% (2017 est.)

industry

51% (2017 est.)

services

45.8% (2017 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$231.994 billion (2019 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2012

29.5 (2012 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

25.7% (2007 est.)

lowest 10%

3.6%

Imports

Imports 2018

$56.88 billion (2018 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports 2019

$72.28 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports 2020

$54.72 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, broadcasting equipment, cars, jewelry, cigarettes (2019)

Imports - partners

United Arab Emirates 28%, Turkey 21%, China 19% (2019)

Industrial production growth rate

0.7% (2017 est.)

Industries

petroleum, chemicals, textiles, leather, construction materials, food processing, fertilizer, metal fabrication/processing

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017

0.2% (2017 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018

0.3% (2018 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019

-0.1% (2019 est.)

Labor force

8.9 million (2010 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

21.6%

industry

18.7%

services

59.8% (2008 est.)

Population below poverty line

23% (2014 est.)

Public debt

Public debt 2016

66% of GDP (2016 est.)

Public debt 2017

59.7% of GDP (2017 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2018

$397.64 billion (2018 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019

$415.32 billion (2019 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020

$372.27 billion (2020 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2015

2.5% (2015 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2016

13.1% (2016 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2017

-2.1% (2017 est.)

Real GDP per capita

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2018

$10,300 (2018 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2019

$10,600 (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2020

$9,300 (2020 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2016

$45.36 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017

$48.88 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

35.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2010

15% (2010 est.)

Unemployment rate 2012

16% (2012 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

63.3% (2017)

male

22%

total

25.6%

Carbon dioxide emissions

from coal and metallurgical coke

0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from consumed natural gas

35.339 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

108.14 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

total emissions

143.479 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Coal

consumption

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

exports

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

imports

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

production

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

proven reserves

0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Electricity

consumption

46,492,540,000 kWh (2019 est.)

exports

0 kWh (2019 est.)

imports

14.18 billion kWh (2019 est.)

installed generating capacity

28.369 million kW (2020 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

58.502 billion kWh (2019 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population

100% (2020)

Electricity generation sources

biomass and waste

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

fossil fuels

97.8% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

geothermal

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

hydroelectricity

2.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

nuclear

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

solar

0.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

tide and wave

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

wind

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

Total energy consumption per capita 2019

63.174 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Natural gas

consumption

18,014,129,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)

exports

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

imports

7,303,356,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)

production

10,710,773,000 cubic meters (2019 est.)

proven reserves

3,728,926,000,000 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Petroleum

crude oil and lease condensate exports

3,975,800 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate imports

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves

145.019 billion barrels (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

863,300 bbl/day (2019 est.)

total petroleum production

4,161,500 bbl/day (2021 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

8,284 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

255,100 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

398,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

16 (2020 est.)

total

6,254,099 (2020 est.)

Broadcast media

the number of private radio and TV stations has increased rapidly since 2003; government-owned TV and radio stations are operated by the publicly funded Iraqi Media Network; private broadcast media are mostly linked to political, ethnic, or religious groups; satellite TV is available to an estimated 70% of viewers and many of the broadcasters are based abroad; transmissions of multiple international radio broadcasters are accessible (2019)

Internet country code

.iq

Internet users

percent of population

60% (2020 est.)

total

24,133,502 (2020 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

about 7 per 100 for fixed-line and 93 per 100 for mobile-cellular subscriptions (2020)

general assessment

Iraq continues to face a number of political and economic challenges, though increasing civil stability has made it easier for mobile and fixed-line operators to rebuild telecom services and infrastructure damaged during the last few years; the government extended the licenses held by the MNOs for an additional three years to compensate for the chaos and destruction caused between 2014 and 2017 when Islamic State held sway in many areas of the country; the companies have struggled to develop LTE services; most services are still based on GSM and 3G, except in the Kurdish region where LTE is more widely available (2022)

international

country code - 964; landing points for FALCON, and GBICS/MENA submarine cables providing connections to the Middle East, Africa and India; satellite earth stations - 4 (2 Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean, 1 Intersputnik - Atlantic Ocean region, and 1 Arabsat (inoperative)); local microwave radio relay connects border regions to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey (2019)

note

note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced a downturn, particularly in mobile device production; progress toward 5G implementation has resumed, as well as upgrades to infrastructure; consumer spending on telecom services has increased due to the surge in demand for capacity and bandwidth; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home is still evident, and the spike in this area has seen growth opportunities for development of new tools and increased services

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

7 (2020 est.)

total subscriptions

2,699,758 (2020 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

93 (2020 est.)

total subscriptions

37,475,325 (2020 est.)

Airports

total

102 (2021)

Airports - with paved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

4

2,438 to 3,047 m

34

914 to 1,523 m

7

over 3,047 m

20

total

72

under 914 m

7 (2021)

Airports - with unpaved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

3

2,438 to 3,047 m

5

914 to 1,523 m

13

over 3,047 m

3

total

30

under 914 m

6 (2021)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

YI

Heliports

16 (2021)

Merchant marine

by type

general cargo 1, oil tanker 6, other 61 (2021)

total

68

National air transport system

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

16.2 million (2018) mt-km

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

2,075,065 (2018)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

34

number of registered air carriers

4 (2020)

Pipelines

2,455 km gas, 913 km liquid petroleum gas, 5,432 km oil, 1,637 km refined products (2013)

Ports and terminals

river port(s)

Al Basrah (Shatt al Arab); Khawr az Zubayr, Umm Qasr (Khawr az Zubayr waterway)

Railways

standard gauge

2,272 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge

total

2,272 km (2014)

Roadways

paved

59,623 km (2012) (includes Kurdistan region)

total

59,623 km (2012)

Waterways

5,279 km (2012) (the Euphrates River (2,815 km), Tigris River (1,899 km), and Third River (565 km) are the principal waterways)

Military - note

as of 2022, Iraqi security forces (ISF) continued to conduct counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) terrorist group, particularly in northern and western Iraq; Kurdish Security Forces (KSF, aka Peshmerga) also conducted operations against ISIS the KSF were formally recognized as a legitimate Iraqi military force under the country’s constitution and have operated jointly with the Iraqi military against ISIS militants, but they also operate outside of Iraqi military command structure; since 2021, the ISF and the KSF have conducted joint counter-ISIS operations in an area known as the Kurdish Coordination Line (KCL), a swath of disputed territory in northern Iraq claimed by both the Kurdistan Regional Government and the central Iraqi Government; the KSF/Peshmerga report to the Kurdistan Regional Government or Kurdistan Democratic Party and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan parties instead of the Iraqi Ministry of DefensePopular Mobilization Commission and Affiliated Forces (PMF or PMC), also known as Popular Mobilization Units (PMU, or al-Hashd al-Sha’abi in Arabic), tribal militia units have fought alongside the Iraqi military against ISIS since 2014, but the majority of these forces continue to largely ignore the 2016 Law of the Popular Mobilization Authority, which mandated that armed militias must be regulated in a fashion similar to Iraq’s other security forces and act under the Iraqi Government’s direct control; the Iraqi Government funds the PMF, and the prime minister legally commands it, but many of the militia units take orders from associated political parties and/or other government officials, including some with ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and some that have been designated as terrorist organizations by the US; the PMF/PMU is an umbrella organization comprised of many different militias, the majority of which are Shia: --Shia militias backed by Iran; they are considered the most active and capable, and include such groups as the Badr Organization (Saraya al-Sala), Asaib Ahl al-Haq, and Kataib Hizballah --Shia militias affiliated with Shia political parties, but not aligned with Iran, such as the Peace Brigades (Saray al-Salam) --Shia militias not connected with political parties, but affiliated with the Najaf-based Grand Ayatollah Ali al-SISTANI (Iraq’s supreme Shia cleric), such as the Hawza militias--other PMF/PMU militias include Sunni Tribal Mobilization militias, or Hashd al-Asha’iri; some of these militias take orders from the ISF and local authorities while others respond to orders from the larger Shia PMU militias; still other militias include Yazidi and Christian militias and the Turkmen brigades; the links of these forces to the PMU is not always clear-cut and may be loosely based on financial, legal, or political incentivesat the request of the Iraqi government, NATO agreed to establish an advisory, training and capacity-building mission for the Iraqi military in October 2018; as of 2022, the NATO Mission Iraq (NMI) had about 500 troops; in December 2021, the task force that leads the defeat ISIS mission in Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), transitioned from a combat role to an advise, assist, and enable role (2022)

Military and security forces

Ministry of Defense: Iraqi Army, Army Aviation Command, Iraqi Navy, Iraqi Air Force, Iraqi Air Defense Command, Special Forces Command, Special Security Division (Green Zone protection)National-Level Security Forces: Iraqi Counterterrorism Service (CTS), Prime Minister's Special Forces Division, Presidential BrigadesMinistry of Interior: Federal Police Forces Command, Border Guard Forces Command, Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency, Emergency Response Division, Facilities Protection Directorate, and Provincial PoliceMinistry of Oil: Energy Police DirectorateKurdistan Regional Government Ministry of Peshmerga: Regional Guard Brigades, Unit (or Division) 70 Forces, Unit (or Division) 80 Forces, special operations/counter-terrorism forces (Counter Terrorism Group, CTG and Counter Terrorism Directorate, CTD); note - Unit 70 and the CTG are associated with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) political party, while Unit 80 and the CTD are associated with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP); Kurdistan Regional Government Ministry of Interior: Zeravani and Emergency Response Forces (paramilitary internal security forces)Popular Mobilization Committee (PMC): Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), Tribal Mobilization Forces (TMF); the PMF and TMF are a collection of approximately 60 militias of widely varied sizes and political interests (2022)

Military and security service personnel strengths

information varies; approximately 200,000 personnel under the Ministry of Defense (190,000 Army/Aviation Command/Special Forces; 5,000 Navy; 5,000 Air/Air Defense Forces); approximately 25,000 National-Level Security Forces; Ministry of Peshmerga: approximately 150,000-plus (45-50,000 Regional Guard Brigades; 40-45,000 Unit 70 Forces; 65-70,000 Unit 80 Forces); estimated 100-160,000 Popular Mobilization Forces (2022)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the Iraqi military's inventory includes a mix of equipment from a wide variety of sources, including Europe, South Africa, South Korea, Russia, and the US; since 2010, Russia and the US have been the leading suppliers of military hardware to Iraq (2022)

Military expenditures

Military Expenditures 2017

6% of GDP (2017 est.) (approximately $20.4 billion)

Military Expenditures 2018

4.5% of GDP (2018 est.) (approximately $16 billion)

Military Expenditures 2019

3.8% of GDP (2019 est.) (approximately $14.6 billion)

Military Expenditures 2020

4.1% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military Expenditures 2021

3.7% of GDP (2021 est.)

Military service age and obligation

18-40 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2022)

note

note: service in the armed forces was mandatory in Iraq from 1935 up until 2003

Disputes - international

Iraq-Iran: Iraq's lack of a maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction disputes beyond the mouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf Iraq-Turkey: Turkey has expressed concern over the autonomous status of Kurds in Iraq

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

1,184,818 (displacement in central and northern Iraq since January 2014) (2022)

refugees (country of origin)

15,272 (Turkey), 7,881 (West Bank and Gaza Strip) (mid-year 2021); 263,087 (Syria) (2022)

stateless persons

47,253 (mid-year 2021); note - in the 1970s and 1980s under SADDAM Husayn's regime, thousands of Iraq's Faili Kurds, followers of Shia Islam, were stripped of their Iraqi citizenship, had their property seized by the government, and many were deported; some Faili Kurds had their citizenship reinstated under the 2006 Iraqi Nationality Law, but others lack the documentation to prove their Iraqi origins; some Palestinian refugees persecuted by the SADDAM regime remain stateless

Terrorist group(s)

Ansar al-Islam; Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)/Qods Force; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Jaysh Rijal al-Tariq al-Naqshabandi; Kata'ib Hizballah; Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)

note

note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix-T

Air pollutants

carbon dioxide emissions

190.06 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

17.44 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

57.73 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

Climate

mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq

Environment - current issues

government water control projects drained most of the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting the feeder streams and rivers; a once sizable population of Marsh Arabs, who inhabited these areas for thousands of years, has been displaced; furthermore, the destruction of the natural habitat poses serious threats to the area's wildlife populations; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil degradation (salination) and erosion; desertification; military and industrial infrastructure has released heavy metals and other hazardous substances into the air, soil, and groundwater; major sources of environmental damage are effluents from oil refineries, factory and sewage discharges into rivers, fertilizer and chemical contamination of the soil, and industrial air pollution in urban areas

Environment - international agreements

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified

Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Environmental Modification

Food insecurity

severe localized food insecurity

due to civil conflict and economic slowdown - the 2022 Humanitarian Needs Overview identified 2.5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, of which 960,000 have acute humanitarian needs; while the number of people in need remained similar to the previous year, the severity of those needs increased, largely due to the impact of the COVID‑19 pandemic on top of an existing humanitarian crisis, leading to a 35% increase in the number of people in acute need; more than half of these are concentrated in the governorates of Nineveh and Anbar; the number of severely food insecure people is estimated at about 435,000, while 731,000 are vulnerable to food insecurity (2022)

Land use

agricultural land

18.1% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 8.4% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0.5% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 9.2% (2018 est.)

forest

1.9% (2018 est.)

other

80% (2018 est.)

Major aquifers

Arabian Aquifer System

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk

intermediate (2020)

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

note

note: widespread ongoing transmission of a respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is occurring throughout Iraq; as of 9 December 2022, Iraq has reported a total of 2,463,296 cases of COVID-19 or 6,124.18 cumulative cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 population with a total of 25,363 cumulative deaths or a rate of 63.06 cumulative deaths per 100,000 population; as of 29 November 2022, 25.41% of the population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Major lakes (area sq km)

fresh water lake(s)

Lake Hammar - 1,940 sq km

Major rivers (by length in km)

Euphrates river mouth (shared with Turkey[s], Syria, and Iran) - 3,596 km; Tigris river mouth (shared with Turkey[s], Syria, and Iran) - 1,950 km; the Tigris and Euphrates join to form the Shatt al Arabnote – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds (area sq km)

Indian Ocean drainage: (Persian Gulf) Tigris and Euphrates (918,044 sq km)

Revenue from coal

coal revenues

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from forest resources

forest revenues

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Total renewable water resources

89.86 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total water withdrawal

agricultural

35.27 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial

2.05 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

municipal

1.23 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

2.91% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

71.6% of total population (2023)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually

13.14 million tons (2015 est.)