2023 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's constitution also established the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), a semi-autonomous region that administers the governorates of Erbil, Dahuk, and As Sulaymaniyah. Iraq has held four national legislative elections since 2006, most recently in October 2021 when 329 legislators were elected to the COR. Following these elections and Iraq's longest government formation process in the post-SADDAM era, the COR approved Mohammad Shia' al-SUDANI as prime minister in October 2022. Iraq has repeatedly postponed separate elections for provincial councils - last held in 2013 - and since 2019 the prime minister has had the authority to appoint governors rather than provincial councils. In early 2023, the COR voted to hold provincial elections by the end of the year. Between 2014 and 2017, Iraq fought a military campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) to recapture territory the group seized in 2014. In December 2017, then-Prime Minister Haydar al-ABADI publicly declared victory against ISIS, although military operations against the group continue in rural areas. Also in late 2017, Baghdad forcefully seized disputed territories across central and northern Iraq from the KRG, following a non-binding Kurdish independence referendum.

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

35.24% (male 7,428,445/female 7,113,723)

15-64 years

61.17% (male 12,692,897/female 12,548,936)

65 years and over

3.59% (2023 est.) (male 658,844/female 823,264)

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

24.2 births/1,000 population (2023 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

5.1% of GDP (2020)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

65.5% (2023 est.)

Death rate

3.9 deaths/1,000 population (2023 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

Gross reproduction rate

1.55 (2023 est.)

Hospital bed density

1.3 beds/1,000 population (2017)

Infant mortality rate

female

17.4 deaths/1,000 live births

male

20.9 deaths/1,000 live births

total

19.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

Languages

Languages

Arabic (official), Kurdish (official); Turkmen (a Turkish dialect) and Syriac (Neo-Aramaic) are recognized as official languages where native speakers of these languages are present; Iraqis have the right to be educated in their native language

major-language sample(s)

كتاب حقائق العالم، أحسن مصدر للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)ڕاستییەکانی جیهان، باشترین سەرچاوەیە بۆ زانیارییە بنەڕەتییەکان (Kurdish) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

female

75.4 years

male

71.6 years

total population

73.5 years (2023 est.)

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 (2023)

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

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

76 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Median age

female

22.4 years

male

21.7 years

total

22.1 years (2023 est.)

Nationality

adjective

Iraqi

noun

Iraqi(s)

Net migration rate

-1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

30.4% (2016)

Physicians density

0.97 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Population

41,266,109 (2023 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

1.94% (2023 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 much as 90% since 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

15-64 years

1.01 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.8 male(s)/female

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

1.01 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Tobacco use

female

1.8% (2020 est.)

male

35.1% (2020 est.)

total

18.5% (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.17 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

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

urban population

71.6% of total population (2023)

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

1801 P Street NW, Washington, DC 20036

chief of mission

Ambassador Nazar Issa Abdulhadi AL-KHIRULLAH (since 30 June 2023)

consulate(s) general

Detroit, Los Angeles

email address and website

washington@scrdiraq.gov.iqhttps://www.iraqiembassy.us/

FAX

[1] (202) 462-8815

telephone

[1] (202) 483-7500

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, approved by Council of Representatives (COR)

chief of state

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

election results

2022: Latif RASHID elected president in second round; COR vote in first round - Latif RASHID (PUK) 157, Barham SALIH (PUK) 99; COR vote in second round - Latif RASHID 167, Barham SALIH 99; Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani approved as prime minister2018: Barham SALIH elected president in second round; COR vote in first round - Barham SALIH (PUK) 165, Fuad HUSAYN (KDP) 90; COR vote in second round - Barham SALIH 219, Fuad HUSAYN 22; Adil ABD AL-MAHDI approved as prime minister

elections/appointments

president indirectly elected by 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 NA)

head of government

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-SUDANI (since 27 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 (FSC) judges nominated by the High Judicial Council (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 elected by religious minorities - 5 by Christians, 1 each by Sabaean-Mandaeans, Yazidis, Shabaks andFayli Kurds, and 25% of seats allocated to women; members serve 4-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party/coalition - NA; seats by party - Taqadum 47, State of Law Coalition 43, Al Fatah Alliance 37, Kurdistan Democratic Party 31, Kurdistan Coalition 18, Azm Alliance 16, Imtidad 16, State Forces Alliance 11, Ishraqat Kanun 10, New Generation Movement 9, National Contract Party 8, Tasmim Alliance 7, Babiliyun Movement 3, other 73; composition - men 234, women 95, percent of women 28.9%note - seat counts reflect updated numbers after the Sadrist Trend withdrew from government formation and its 73 seats were reallocated to other parties

elections

last held on 10 October 2021 (next to be held in 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]Babiliyun Movement [Rayan al-KILDANI]Imtidad [Ala al-RIKABI]Ishraqat Konun [Jaafar AZIZ]Kurdistan Democratic Party F [Masud BARZANI]National Contract Party [Falih al-FAYYAD]New Generation Movement [SHASWAR Abd al-Wahid Qadir]Patriotic Union of Kurdistan [Bafel TALABANI]Sadrist Bloc [Muqtada al-SADR]State Forces Alliance [Haydar al-ABADI]State of Law Coalition [Nuri al-MALIKI]Taqadum [Muhammad al-HALBUSI]Tasmim Alliance [Asad al-IDANI]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

Average household expenditures

on alcohol and tobacco

4.2% of household expenditures (2018 est.)

on food

30.1% of household expenditures (2018 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$85.546 billion (2020 est.)

revenues

$51.534 billion (2020 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 2019

$15.763 billion (2019 est.)

Current account balance 2020

-$6.198 billion (2020 est.)

Current account balance 2021

$24.563 billion (2021 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

oil-dependent Middle Eastern economy; COVID-19 disruption and domestic economy fragility post-US presence; poverty increases; currency devaluation leading to inflation; import-dependent for most sectors; evaluating fiscal and monetary restructuring

Exchange rates

Currency

Iraqi dinars (IQD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2017

1,184 (2017 est.)

Exchange rates 2018

1,182.75 (2018 est.)

Exchange rates 2019

1,182 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

1,192 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

1,450 (2021 est.)

Exports

Exports 2019

$88.903 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports 2020

$50.632 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports 2021

$78.261 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports - commodities

crude petroleum, refined petroleum, gold, petroleum coke, natural gas (2021)

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 2019

$72.283 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports 2020

$54.722 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports 2021

$50.707 billion (2021 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

-1.14% (2021 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019

-0.2% (2019 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020

0.57% (2020 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

6.04% (2021 est.)

Labor force

11.184 million (2021 est.)

Population below poverty line

23% (2014 est.)

Public debt

Public debt 2016

29.48% of GDP (2016 est.)

Public debt 2017

35.86% of GDP (2017 est.)

Public debt 2018

27.44% of GDP (2018 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019

$428.076 billion (2019 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020

$379.6 billion (2020 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$390.165 billion (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2019

5.51% (2019 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2020

-11.32% (2020 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2021

2.78% (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2019

$10,300 (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2020

$8,900 (2020 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2021

$9,000 (2021 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2019

$68.018 billion (31 December 2019 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2020

$54.424 billion (31 December 2020 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2021

$64.231 billion (31 December 2021 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

1.34% (of GDP) (2019 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2019

12.86% (2019 est.)

Unemployment rate 2020

14.09% (2020 est.)

Unemployment rate 2021

14.19% (2021 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

65.2%

male

23.5%

total

27.2% (2021 est.)

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

46.493 billion 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% (2021)

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 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)

exports

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

imports

7.303 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)

production

10.711 billion cubic meters (2019 est.)

proven reserves

3.729 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Petroleum

crude oil and lease condensate exports

3.976 million 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

4.162 million 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

49% (2021 est.)

total

21.56 million (2021 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

about 7 per 100 for fixed-line and 86 per 100 for mobile-cellular subscriptions (2021)

general assessment

civil stability has made it easier for mobile and fixed-line operators to rebuild telecom services and infrastructure damaged during previous periods of violence; 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 controlled many areas of the country; the companies have struggled to develop LTE services; most services are still based on GSM and 3G, except in Iraq's Kurdistan 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)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

7 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

3,048,736 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

86 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

37,649,112 (2021 est.)

Airports

102 (2021)

Airports - with paved runways

72

note

note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

30

note

note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

YI

Heliports

16 (2021)

Merchant marine

by type

general cargo 1, oil tanker 7, other 67

total

75 (2022)

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

Iraqi security forces (ISF), including conventional air and ground forces, are primarily focused on internal security duties; they are actively conducting counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) terrorist group, particularly in northern and western Iraq; the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS), a highly regarded force comprised of three special forces brigades, is the ISF's principal operational unit against ISISKurdish 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 (2023)

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; reports to the Prime Minister), 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 DirectoratePopular Mobilization Committee (PMC): Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), Tribal Mobilization Forces (TMF); the PMF and TMF are a collection of more than 50 militias of widely varied sizes and political intereststhe federal constitution provides the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) the right to maintain its own military/militia (peshmerga) and security forces, but the two main Kurdish political parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), each maintain their own forces: KRG Ministry of Peshmerga: Regional Guard Brigades; Unit (or Division) 70 Forces and Counter Terrorism Group (CTG) of the PUK; Unit (or Division) 80 Forces and Counterterrorism Directorate (CTD) of the KDPKRG Ministry of Interior: both the KDP and PUK maintain separate police, emergency response, and internal security/intelligence (Asayish) services under nominal Ministry of Interior control (2023)

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; estimated 100-160,000 Popular Mobilization ForcesMinistry of Peshmerga: approximately 150,000 (45-50,000 Regional Guard Brigades; 40-45,000 Unit 70 Forces; 65-70,000 Unit 80 Forces) (2023)

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; in recent years, Russia and the US have been the leading suppliers of military hardware to Iraq (2023)

Military expenditures

Military Expenditures 2018

4.5% of GDP (2018 est.)

Military Expenditures 2019

3.8% of GDP (2019 est.)

Military Expenditures 2020

4.1% of GDP (2020 est.)

Military Expenditures 2021

3.7% of GDP (2021 est.)

Military Expenditures 2022

2.1% of GDP (2022 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; in 2021, the Iraqi cabinet approved a draft law to reinstate compulsory military service and referred the proposed law, called the “Service Under the Flag Law,” to the Iraqi parliament 

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 GulfIraq-Kuwait: undemarcated maritime boundary; Kuwait has called on Iraq to resolve the domestic legal status of the 2012 Kuwait-Iraq Agreement to regulate maritime navigation in Khor Abdullah and ensure that the agreement remains in force  Iraq-Turkey: Turkey maintains a military presence in northern Iraq to combat the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) terrorist group; it periodically conducts air strikes and has conducted large military operations involving thousands of troops in 2007, 2011, and 2018, and smaller-scale operations in 2021 and 2022 

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

1.142 million (displacement in central and northern Iraq since January 2014) (2023)

refugees (country of origin)

7,864 (West Bank and Gaza Strip) (mid-year 2022); 271,732 (Syria), 8,575 (Iran), 8,091 (Turkey) (2023)

stateless persons

47,253 (2022); 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

Trafficking in persons

tier rating

Tier 2 Watch List — Iraq does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; more traffickers were convicted and officials improved oversight of recruitment agencies in Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR); Iraq implemented an action plan to address recruitment or use of children in armed conflict and developed another action plan to prevent recruitment or use of children by the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF); however, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts, compared with the previous reporting period, to expand its anti-trafficking capacity; officials identified fewer trafficking victims and the Kurdistan Regional Government did not report any enforcement or victim data; deficient procedures, and some officials’ limited understanding of trafficking, continued to prevent some victims from receiving protection services; some victims continued to receive inappropriate punishment for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked; the government lacked adequate protection services for victims of all forms of trafficking and did not have shelters for adult males or LBGTQI+ victims; therefore, Iraq was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List (2023)

trafficking profile

human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Iraq, as well as Iraqi’s abroad; insecurity throughout Iraq increased the population’s vulnerability to trafficking; more than a million Iraqis remained internally displaced as a result of ISIS, and as of March 2023, more than 260,000 Syrian refugees were displaced in Iraq; refugees and IDPs face heightened risk of forced labor and sex trafficking, and women and girls in IDP camps with family ties to ISIS faced potential sexual exploitation, sex trafficking, and abuse by security and military officials; criminal gangs continued to force women into prostitution and children to beg and sell and transport drugs and weapons; Iraqi refugees in Jordan are vulnerable to labor trafficking; thousands of women and children who escaped ISIS captivity in 2015-2019 remain highly vulnerable to exploitation; children remain vulnerable to forcible recruitment or use by armed groups operating in Iraq, including ISIS, tribal forces, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, and non-PMF Iran-backed militias; Iraqi, Iranian, and Syrian women and girls, as well as LGBTQI+ persons in the IKR and federal Iraq are particularly vulnerable to sex trafficking; traditional practices, including fasliya—the exchange of family members to settle tribal disputes—and forced child and “temporary” marriages also place women and girls at increased risk of trafficking within Iraq; some men and women from Asia and Africa who migrate—both legally and illegally—to Iraq are subjected to forced labor as construction workers, security guards, cleaners, handymen, and domestic workers; the IKR continued to be a destination for trafficking victims primarily from South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, the Philippines, and neighboring countries; some foreign migrants recruited for work in other countries in the region are forced, coerced, or deceived into working in Iraq and the IKR (2023)

Space agency/agencies

announced in 2019 that the Iraqi Ministry of Communication was working with France to create a national space agency (2023)

Space program overview

stated purpose of current program is to acquire satellites for security, economic, agricultural, industrial, environmental and military purposes; status unclear (2023)

note

note: further details about the key activities, programs, and milestones of the country’s space program, as well as government spending estimates on the space sector, appear in Appendix S

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

39.29 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 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 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

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from forest resources

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Total renewable water resources

89.86 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Total water withdrawal

agricultural

44.23 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial

5.49 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

municipal

6.9 billion cubic meters (2020 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.)