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Demographics of Iraq

TheIraqi people(Arabic:العراقيون;Kurdish:گهلی عێراق;Syriac:ܥܡܐ ܥܝܪܩܝܐ) are people originating from the country ofIraq.[1]

Demographics ofIraq
Population pyramid of Iraq in 2020
Population46,118,554 (2024)
Growth rate2% (2022 est.)
Birth rate34.23 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Death rate3.9 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Life expectancy73.18 years
• male71.3 years
• female75.15 years
Fertility rate3.25 children born/woman (2022 est.)
Infant mortality rate19.62 deaths/1,000 live births
Net migration rate-0.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Age structure
0–14 yearsDecrease35.90% (2024)
15–64 yearsIncrease60.44% (2024)
65 and overNegative increase3.66% (2024)
Sex ratio
Total1.01 male(s)/female (2022 est.)
At birth1.05 male(s)/female
Under 151.04 male(s)/female
65 and over0.65 male(s)/female
Nationality
NationalityIraqi
Major ethnicArabs
Minor ethnic
Language
OfficialArabicandKurdish
SpokenLanguages of Iraq
Historical population of Iraq

Iraqi Arabs are the largest ethnic group in Iraq,[2]followed byIraqi Kurds,thenIraqi Turkmenas the third largest ethnic group in the country.[3][4]Studies indicate that Mesopotamian Arabs, who make up the overwhelming majority of Iraq's population, are genetically distinct from other Arab populations in theArabs of the Arabian peninsula.[5][6]

The population was estimated to be 46,118,554 in 2024[7]Turkmens(3 million),Assyrians(0.5 million),Yazidis(500,000),Armenians,Marsh Arabs,andShabaks(250,000). Other minorities includeMandaeans(3,000),Roma(50,000) andCircassians(2,000).[8]The most spoken languages areMesopotamian Arabic,Kurdish,AssyrianSyriacandIraqi Turkmendialects. The percentages of different ethno-religious groups residing in Iraq vary from source to source due to the last Iraqi census having taken place over 30 years ago. A new census of Iraq was planned to take place in 2020,[9]but this was postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[10]It was rescheduled to November 2022[11][12]but was postponed again with an "electronic national population census" planned in the last quarter of 2023.[13]

A new national census was held on 20 and 21 November 2024, with a total number of 120,000 field researchers who executed the census in allgovernorateson the set date.[14]The detailed results were announced on 24 February 2025. Which showed that the Iraqi population has risen to about 46 million and 118 thousands. With 101 Male for every 100 Female.[15]

Population

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
01,000,000—
5001,005,000+0.00%
10002,000,000+0.14%
15001,000,000−0.14%
17001,000,000+0.00%
18001,000,000+0.00%
19012,470,000+0.90%
19556,502,657+1.81%
19607,289,760+2.31%
19658,375,790+2.82%
19709,917,983+3.44%
197511,684,590+3.33%
198013,653,354+3.16%
198515,555,800+2.64%
199017,419,113+2.29%
199520,149,338+2.95%
200023,497,585+3.12%
200526,922,284+2.76%
201029,741,976+2.01%
201535,572,261+3.64%
202040,222,493+2.49%
202446,118,554+3.48%
Sources:before 1955:[16]after 1955:[17]

39,650,145 (2021 estimate),[18]43,533,592 (2021 estimate),[19][20]up from 31,234,000 (April 2009 IMF estimate)[21]

Structure of the population

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Structure of the population (1 July 2013) (Estimates):[22]

Age group Male Female Total %
Total 17,710,750 17,083,444 34,794,194 100
0–4 2,495,131 2,405,862 4,900,993 14.09
5–9 2,374,908 2,191,807 4,566,714 13.12
10–14 2,232,712 2,048,891 4,281,603 12.31
15–19 1,937,714 1,825,963 3,763,677 10.82
20–24 1,701,884 1,593,679 3,295,563 9.47
25–29 1,424,739 1,316,462 2,741,201 7.88
30–34 1,176,433 1,134,882 2,311,316 6.64
35–39 983,570 1,044,325 2,027,895 5.83
40–44 933,785 897,936 1,831,722 5.26
45–49 746,884 763,311 1,510,195 4.34
50–54 508,498 562,274 1,070,772 3.08
55–59 356,581 393,511 750,093 2.16
60–64 345,830 378,456 724,285 2.08
65–69 187,626 218,991 406,617 1.17
70–74 133,277 138,375 271,651 0.78
75–79 81,742 90,630 172,373 0.50
80+ 89,436 78,087 167,523 0.48
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0–14 8,005,327 7,674,802 15,680,129 39.01
15–24 3,976,085 3,829,086 7,805,171 19.24
25–54 6,900,984 6,752,797 13,653,781 33.97
55–64 788,602 839,291 1,627,893 4.05
65+ 632,753 794,489 1,427,242 3.55

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2020):[23]

Age Group Male Female Total %
Total 20 135 407 19 719 025 39 854 432 100
0–4 3 001 938 2 845 630 5 847 568 14.67
5–9 2 801 593 2 637 323 5 438 915 13.65
10–14 2 503 802 2 337 380 4 841 183 12.15
15–19 2 196 837 2 075 647 4 272 484 10.72
20–24 1 918 965 1 770 996 3 689 961 9.26
25–29 1 505 098 1 463 422 2 968 520 7.45
30–34 1 317 918 1 356 230 2 674 148 6.71
35–39 1 123 350 1 184 338 2 307 688 5.79
40–44 1 059 298 1 073 442 2 132 741 5.35
45–49 782 854 806 097 1 588 951 3.99
50–54 461 586 574 816 1 036 401 2.60
55–59 524 741 549 131 1 073 872 2.69
60–64 361 381 394 984 756 365 1.90
65-69 237 890 247 820 485 710 1.22
70-74 155 203 156 175 311 378 0.78
75-79 81 749 98 501 180 250 0.45
80+ 101 202 147 093 248 296 0.62
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0–14 8 307 333 7 820 333 16 127 666 40.47
15–64 11 252 030 11 249 103 22 501 133 56.46
65+ 576 044 649 589 1 225 633 3.08

Vital statistics

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UN estimates (based on UN WPP Revision 2022)

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Note: This table uses the sticky table format to make scrolling easier. If you prefer, you can disable it.

Year[24] Live births per year Deaths per year Natural change CBR1 CDR1 NC1 IMR1 Total fertility rate Life expectancy(years)
1950 259,000 142,000 117,000 45.7 25.1 20.6 222.0 6.20 38.98
1951 270,000 137,000 133,000 46.7 23.8 23.0 210.2 6.40 40.65
1952 293,000 136,000 157,000 49.4 23.0 26.4 199.1 6.84 42.20
1953 297,000 134,000 163,000 48.8 22.0 26.8 188.5 6.84 43.71
1954 297,000 130,000 167,000 47.6 20.8 26.7 178.5 6.76 45.21
1955 267,000 123,000 144,000 41.7 19.2 22.5 169.0 6.00 46.58
1956 271,000 117,000 154,000 41.4 17.8 23.6 160.1 6.00 47.88
1957 220,000 107,000 113,000 32.9 16.0 16.9 151.6 4.80 49.21
1958 224,000 101,000 123,000 32.9 14.8 18.1 143.7 4.80 50.41
1959 252,000 101,000 151,000 36.4 14.6 21.8 136.3 5.30 51.03
1960 257,000 98,000 159,000 36.3 13.9 22.4 129.4 5.30 52.62
1961 289,000 100,000 189,000 39.7 13.8 26.0 123.1 5.80 53.41
1962 352,000 105,000 247,000 47.1 14.0 33.0 117.2 6.87 54.33
1963 363,000 109,000 254,000 46.9 14.0 32.8 111.8 6.90 54.95
1964 373,000 110,000 263,000 46.7 13.8 32.9 107.4 6.93 55.63
1965 384,000 109,000 275,000 46.4 13.2 33.2 102.1 6.95 56.62
1966 395,000 109,000 286,000 46.2 12.8 33.4 97.7 6.97 57.35
1967 408,000 108,000 299,000 46.1 12.2 33.8 93.5 7.00 58.37
1968 422,000 110,000 312,000 46.1 12.0 34.1 89.9 7.05 58.78
1969 438,000 110,000 328,000 46.2 11.6 34.6 86.0 7.10 59.32
1970 450,000 110,000 340,000 45.8 11.2 34.6 82.6 7.08 60.19
1971 461,000 109,000 352,000 45.4 10.7 34.7 79.0 7.06 60.91
1972 471,000 110,000 362,000 44.8 10.4 34.4 76.0 7.01 61.39
1973 481,000 109,000 372,000 44.3 10.0 34.2 73.0 6.96 62.03
1974 492,000 117,000 375,000 43.7 10.4 33.4 70.4 6.93 60.90
1975 500,000 116,000 384,000 43.0 10.0 33.0 67.7 6.88 61.46
1976 508,000 108,000 400,000 42.3 9.0 33.3 64.6 6.81 63.72
1977 516,000 108,000 408,000 41.6 8.7 32.9 62.1 6.75 64.23
1978 525,000 110,000 416,000 41.0 8.5 32.4 59.8 6.69 64.40
1979 536,000 110,000 426,000 40.4 8.3 32.1 57.7 6.63 64.79
1980 546,000 128,000 418,000 40.0 9.4 30.6 55.7 6.57 61.50
1981 560,000 143,000 417,000 39.8 10.1 29.6 53.8 6.51 59.33
1982 573,000 143,000 429,000 39.5 9.9 29.6 52.1 6.45 59.73
1983 586,000 144,000 442,000 39.4 9.7 29.7 50.5 6.39 60.06
1984 607,000 147,000 460,000 39.5 9.6 29.9 49.1 6.33 60.22
1985 620,000 148,000 472,000 39.1 9.3 29.7 47.7 6.25 60.68
1986 626,000 149,000 477,000 38.8 9.2 29.6 46.4 6.18 60.87
1987 642,000 151,000 491,000 38.5 9.0 29.5 45.3 6.10 61.18
1988 662,000 184,000 477,000 38.8 10.8 28.0 49.2 6.02 57.47
1989 683,000 187,000 495,000 39.1 10.7 28.4 53.3 5.94 58.24
1990 708,000 190,000 518,000 39.4 10.6 28.8 52.2 5.88 58.44
1991 707,000 153,000 554,000 39.5 8.5 31.0 46.2 5.81 62.52
1992 722,000 123,000 599,000 39.3 6.7 32.6 41.1 5.72 66.71
1993 744,000 125,000 619,000 39.1 6.6 32.6 40.3 5.64 66.90
1994 782,000 133,000 649,000 38.7 6.6 32.1 39.7 5.53 66.74
1995 796,000 138,000 658,000 38.0 6.6 31.4 39.1 5.40 66.46
1996 810,000 142,000 668,000 37.4 6.6 30.9 38.4 5.29 66.39
1997 835,000 150,000 685,000 37.4 6.7 30.7 37.9 5.24 65.84
1998 853,000 156,000 697,000 37.0 6.8 30.3 36.9 5.15 65.49
1999 873,000 154,000 719,000 36.7 6.5 30.2 36.3 5.06 66.18
2000 891,000 152,000 740,000 36.3 6.2 30.1 35.6 4.95 66.82
2001 905,000 154,000 752,000 35.6 6.0 29.6 34.9 4.84 67.03
2002 916,000 156,000 759,000 35.0 6.0 29.0 34.2 4.71 67.08
2003 937,000 175,000 761,000 34.6 6.5 28.1 33.6 4.62 65.64
2004 963,000 186,000 776,000 34.6 6.7 27.9 32.9 4.58 65.03
2005 975,000 193,000 782,000 34.0 6.7 27.3 32.3 4.48 64.84
2006 998,000 213,000 785,000 33.8 7.2 26.6 31.6 4.44 63.59
2007 976,000 210,000 766,000 33.6 7.2 26.4 30.8 4.37 63.55
2008 972,000 193,000 779,000 33.5 6.7 26.8 30.1 4.34 64.94
2009 1,019,000 184,000 836,000 33.7 6.1 27.6 29.3 4.36 66.45
2010 1,071,000 183,000 888,000 34.3 5.9 28.4 28.6 4.43 67.06
2011 1,132,000 182,000 950,000 35.1 5.6 29.4 27.7 4.54 67.66
2012 1,159,000 184,000 974,000 34.6 5.5 29.1 26.9 4.48 68.02
2013 1,192,000 191,000 1,001,000 33.8 5.4 28.4 26.2 4.38 68.25
2014 1,216,000 190,000 1,026,000 33.1 5.2 27.9 25.2 4.28 68.91
2015 1,193,000 187,000 1,006,000 31.6 5.0 26.6 24.5 4.09 69.44
2016 1,168,000 199,000 970,000 30.2 5.1 25.0 23.7 3.90 68.99
2017 1,146,000 184,000 962,000 28.9 4.6 24.3 23.0 3.73 70.41
2018 1,154,000 174,000 980,000 28.4 4.3 24.1 22.4 3.66 71.51
2019 1,168,000 179,000 989,000 28.1 4.3 23.8 21.8 3.60 71.58
2020 1,179,000 223,000 957,000 27.7 5.2 22.5 21.0 3.55 69.12
2021 1,192,000 207,000 985,000 27.4 4.8 22.6 20.3 3.50 70.38
1CBR = crude birth rate (per 1,000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1,000); NC = natural change (per 1,000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1,000 births

Total fertility rate

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Iraqfertility rateby region (2006)[25]
5–6
4–5
3–4
2–3
Age groups[26][27] 1997 2006
15–19 56.2 68
20–24 210 187
25–29 276.2 221
30–34 257.9 188
35–39 196.5 136
40–44 101.4 56
45–49 31 9
Total 1,128.2 865
TFR 4.3

Life expectancy at birth

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Averagelife expectancyat birth of the total population.[28]

Life expectancy at birth in Iraq
Period Life expectancy in
Years 		Period Life expectancy in
Years
1950–1955 37.9 1985–1990 64.3
1955–1960 44.9 1990–1995 67.4
1960–1965 50.9 1995–2000 69.1
1965–1970 56.4 2000–2005 68.9
1970–1975 59.5 2005–2010 68.0
1975–1980 61.7 2010–2015 69.2
1980–1985 59.0

Ethnicity

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Main articles:Iraqi peopleandMinorities in Iraq
Sunni Arabs
Shiite Arabs
Sunni Kurds
Assyrians
Yazidis
Turkmen

Iraq's dominant ethnic group isArabs,who account for more than three-quarters of the population.

According to theCIA World Factbook,citing a 1987 Iraqi government estimate, the population of Iraq is formed of 75-80% Arabs (includingMarsh Arabs) followed by 15-20%Kurdsand other minorities form 5% of the country's population, including theTurkmen,Kaka'i,Bedouins,Roma,Assyrians,Circassians,Mandaeans,andPersians.[29]

However, theInternational Crisis Grouppoints out that figures from the 1987 census, as well as the 1967, 1977, and 1997 censuses, "are all considered highly problematic, due to suspicions of regime manipulation" because Iraqi citizens were only allowed to indicate belonging to either the Arab or Kurdish ethnic groups;[30]consequently, this skewed the number of other ethnic minorities, such as Iraq's third largest ethnic group – theTurkmen.[30]

Languages

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See also:Languages of Iraq

ArabicandKurdishare the two official languages of Iraq. Arabic is taught across all schools in Iraq, however in the north the Kurdish language is the most spoken.Eastern Aramaic languages,such asSyriacandMandaicare spoken, as well as the Iraqi Turkmen language, and various other indigenous languages.

Kurdish, including several dialects, is the second largest language and hasregional languagestatus in the north of the country. Aramaic, in antiquity spoken throughout the whole country, is now only spoken by the Assyrian minority, in distinct dialects that differ from church affiliation and geographic origin. TheIraqi Turkmen dialectis spoken in parts of northern Iraq, numerouslanguages of the Caucasusare also spoken by minorities, notably the Chechen community.

Religions

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Main articles:Religion in Iraq,Islam in Iraq,andChristianity in Iraq
Religion in Iraq (2015CIAestimate)[31]
  1. Shia Islam(61%)
  2. Sunni Islam(34%)
  3. Christianity(2%)
  4. Other (3%)

The CIAWorld Factbookestimated in 2015 that between 95-98% of Iraqis followedIslam,with 61-64% being Shia and 29-34% being Sunni.Christianityaccounted for 2%, and the rest (1-4%) practicedYazidism,Mandaeism,and other religions.[31]

While there has been voluntary relocation of many Christian families to northern Iraq, recent reporting indicates that the overall Christian population may have dropped by as much as 50 percent since the fall ofSaddam Husseinin 2003, with many fleeing to Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon (2010 estimate).[29]The percentage of Christians has fallen from 6% in 1991 or 1.5 million to about one third of this. Estimates say there are 500,000 Christians in Iraq.[32]

Nearly all Iraqi Kurds identify asSunni Muslims.A 2014 survey in Iraq concluded that "98% of Kurds in Iraq identified themselves as Sunnis and only 2% identified as Shias".[33]The religious differences between SunniArabsand Sunni Kurds are small. While 98 percent of Shia Arabs believe that visiting the shrines of saints is acceptable, 71 percent ofSunni Arabsdid and 59 percent of Sunni Kurds support this practice.[33]About 94 percent of the population inIraqi Kurdistanis Muslim.[34]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Iraqi – a native or inhabitant of Iraq".Reference.Retrieved2010-12-10.
  2. ^Office, Great Britain Foreign (1958).Documents on British Foreign Policy, 1919-1939.H.M. Stationery Office.
  3. ^"Minorities in Iraq: EU Research Service"(PDF).
  4. ^Mitchell, T. F. (1990–1993).Pronouncing Arabic.Oxford [England]: Clarendon Press. p. 37.ISBN0198151519.OCLC18020063.
  5. ^Nadia Al-Zahery; Maria Pala; Vincenza Battaglia; Viola Grugni; Mohammed A. Hamod; Baharak Hooshiar Kashani; Anna Olivieri; Antonio Torroni; Augusta S. Santachiara-Benerecetti; Ornella Semino (2011)."In search of the genetic footprints of Sumerians: a survey of genetic variation in the Arabs of Iraq".BMC Evolutionary Biology.11:288.doi:10.1186/1471-2148-11-288.PMC3215667.PMID21970613.
  6. ^Cavalli-Sforza, L. Luca; Menozzi, Paolo; Piazza, Alberto (2018-06-05).The History and Geography of Human Genes.Princeton University Press.doi:10.2307/j.ctv301gjp.ISBN9780691187266.S2CID242032876.
  7. ^https:// usnews /news/world/articles/2025-02-24/46-1-million-people-were-counted-in-iraqs-first-census-in-nearly-40-years
  8. ^"Minorities in Iraq - European Research Service"(PDF).
  9. ^"Iraq prepping to conduct a census in 2020".rudaw.net.Retrieved2019-05-01.
  10. ^"COVID-19 postpones Iraq's Census for the current year".shafaq.Archived fromthe originalon 2021-08-21.Retrieved2021-08-21.
  11. ^"Iraq Planning National Census for End of 2022".Bas News.Retrieved18 March2022.
  12. ^"IRAQ AIMS TO START CENSUS IN NOVEMBER 2022: OFFICIAL".NRT. 4 November 2021.Retrieved18 March2022.
  13. ^"Iraq to hold National Census next year".Iraq Business News.13 June 2022.Retrieved4 October2022.
  14. ^"Iraq launches extensive population census plan with 120,000 researchers".Iraqi News Agency.
  15. ^"التخطيط تعلن النتائج الأساسية للتعداد السكاني في العراق".وكالة الأنباء العراقية.Retrieved2025-02-24.
  16. ^"Iraq Population - Our World in Data".ourworldindata.org.
  17. ^"Iraq Population - Worldometer".worldometers.info.
  18. ^"Middle East:: Iraq — The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency".cia.gov.Retrieved15 May2021.
  19. ^"World Population Prospects 2022".United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs,Population Division.RetrievedJuly 17,2022.
  20. ^"World Population Prospects 2022: Demographic indicators by region, subregion and country, annually for 1950-2100"(XSLX)( "Total Population, as of 1 July (thousands)" ).United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs,Population Division.RetrievedJuly 17,2022.
  21. ^"Iraq".International Monetary Fund.Retrieved2009-04-27.
  22. ^"United Nations Statistics Division - Demographic and Social Statistics".Archived fromthe originalon 2004-09-21.
  23. ^"UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics".
  24. ^"World Population Prospects: The 2022 Revision".
  25. ^"Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2006 – unicef statistics"(PDF).Unicef.Retrieved2016-03-20.
  26. ^"الجهاز المركزي للاحصاء - Demographic Statistics".Archived fromthe originalon 2014-03-05.Retrieved2014-03-05.
  27. ^"UNICEF DATA - Child Statistics"(PDF).
  28. ^"World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations".esa.un.org.Retrieved2018-08-26.
  29. ^ab"Iraq".The World Factbook.22 June 2014.
  30. ^ab"Turkey and the Iraqi Kurds: Conflict or Cooperation?"(PDF).International Crisis Group.2008. p. 16. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 8 August 2019.Retrieved19 June2018.
  31. ^ab"Iraq - the World Factbook".27 April 2022. Archived fromthe originalon 2024-03-20.
  32. ^"MINORITIES IN IRAQ: EU Research Service"(PDF).
  33. ^ab"Who are the Iraqi Kurds?".20 August 2014.
  34. ^"Religious Neutrality in Iraqi Kurdistan".HuffPost.18 June 2012.

Further reading

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