Iraq People - 2023
SOURCE: 2023 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK
Population
41,266,109 (2023 est.)
Nationality
noun: Iraqi(s)
adjective: Iraqi
Ethnic groups
Arab 75-80%, Kurdish 15-20%, other 5% (includes Turkmen, Yezidi, Shabak, Kaka'i, Bedouin, Romani, Assyrian, Circassian, Sabaean-Mandaean, Persian)
note: data is a 1987 government estimate; no more recent reliable numbers are available
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.
Arabic audio sample:Kurdish audio sample:
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: 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
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)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 71
youth dependency ratio: 65.2
elderly dependency ratio: 5.8
potential support ratio: 17.1 (2021 est.)
Median age
total: 21.2 years
male: 20.8 years
female: 21.6 years (2020 est.)
Population growth rate
1.94% (2023 est.)
Birth rate
24.22 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Death rate
3.88 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Net migration rate
-0.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (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
Urbanization
urban population: 71.6% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 2.91% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
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)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
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
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
76 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 19.17 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 20.85 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 17.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 73.45 years
male: 71.58 years
female: 75.42 years (2023 est.)
Total fertility rate
3.17 children born/woman (2023 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
1.55 (2023 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
52.8% (2018)
Drinking water source
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: 97.4% of population
total: 99.3% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 2.6% of population
total: 0.7% of population (2020 est.)
Current health expenditure
5.1% of GDP (2020)
Physicians density
0.97 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
Hospital bed density
1.3 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Sanitation facility access
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
Major infectious diseases
degree of risk: intermediate (2023)
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
30.4% (2016)
Alcohol consumption per capita
total: 0.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 0.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
total: 18.5% (2020 est.)
male: 35.1% (2020 est.)
female: 1.8% (2020 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
3.9% (2018)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
65.5% (2023 est.)
Child marriage
women married by age 15: 7.2%
women married by age 18: 27.9% (2018 est.)
Education expenditures
4.7% of GDP (2016)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85.6%
male: 91.2%
female: 79.9% (2017)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
total: 27.2%
male: 23.5%
female: 65.2% (2021 est.)
NOTE: The information regarding Iraq on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Iraq 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Iraq 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
This page was last modified 06 Dec 23, Copyright © 2023 ITA all rights reserved.