Iraq in turmoil
Last reviewed: 03-02-2009
Iraq
| Capital: | Baghdad |
| Area size: | 437370 sq. km Slightly smaller than France |
| Time zone: | GMT +3 |
| Currency: | Iraqi dinar |
| Area code: | (+) 964 |
| Driving: | Right |
| Climate description: | Hot, dry summers and cold winters, especially in the mountains |
People
Standard of living
Economy & aid
Health
Disasters, conflict & migration
Language
Arabic is the official and predominant language, but Kurdish is also spoken.
Source: New Internationalist World Guide
Population
Future population estimates
46.4 million (2050)
Source: U.N. DESA (2006)
Ethnic groups
Around three-fourths of the population is Arab. The Kurds are the biggest minority (20 percent); there are also smaller Syrian, Armenian and other groups.
Source: NI World Guide
Religion
Predominantly Islam, with 62 percent Shi'ite Muslims and 35 percent Sunnis. There is also a Christian minority.
Source: NI World Guide
Percentage urban population
Year women granted right to vote
No data available
Where two figures are shown, the first refers to a partial recognition of the right to vote and the second to the year women received the right to vote on a universal and equal basis.
Net percentage of girls enrolled in primary education
No data available (2006)
Percentage of population under 15
Arabic is the official and predominant language, but Kurdish is also spoken.
Source: New Internationalist World Guide
Population
| 2007 | 28.4 million | U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) Population Division (2006) |
| 2006 | 28.3 million | U.N. DESA (2006) |
| 2005 | 28.0 million | U.N. DESA (2006) |
| 2004 | 27.5 million | U.N. DESA (2006) |
| 2003 | 26.9 million | U.N. DESA (2006) |
| 2002 | 26.3 million | U.N. DESA (2006) |
| 2001 | 25.7 million | U.N. DESA (2006) |
| 2000 | 25.1 million | U.N. DESA (2006) |
Future population estimates
46.4 million (2050)
Source: U.N. DESA (2006)
Ethnic groups
Around three-fourths of the population is Arab. The Kurds are the biggest minority (20 percent); there are also smaller Syrian, Armenian and other groups.
Source: NI World Guide
Religion
Predominantly Islam, with 62 percent Shi'ite Muslims and 35 percent Sunnis. There is also a Christian minority.
Source: NI World Guide
Percentage urban population
| 2007 | 66.7 percent | U.N. DESA - World Urbanisation Prospects 2005 |
| 2006 | 66.8 percent | U.N. DESA (2005) |
| 2005 | 66.9 percent | U.N. DESA (2005) |
| 2004 | 67.1 percent | U.N. DESA (2005) |
| 2003 | 67.3 percent | U.N. DESA (2005) |
| 2002 | 67.4 percent | U.N. DESA (2005) |
| 2001 | 67.6 percent | U.N. DESA (2005) |
| 2000 | 67.8 percent | U.N. DESA (2005) |
Year women granted right to vote
No data available
Where two figures are shown, the first refers to a partial recognition of the right to vote and the second to the year women received the right to vote on a universal and equal basis.
Net percentage of girls enrolled in primary education
No data available (2006)
Percentage of population under 15
| 2005 | 41.5 percent | U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007 |
| 2004 | 41.4 percent | UNDP 2006 |
| 2003 | 41.7 percent | UNDP 2005 |
| 2001 | No data available percent | |
| 2000 | No data available percent |
Average life expectancy
Life expectancy - male
Life expectancy - female
Infant mortality
Child mortality - deaths before the age of five
Births attended by skilled personnel
Maternal mortality
Human development index (HDI rank)
No data available (2001)
Percentage of children under weight for age (under age 5)
Population with access to improved water
Population with access to improved sanitation
Literacy - average
Literacy - male
84.1 percent (2004)
Source: UNDP 2006
Literacy - female
64.2 percent (2004)
Source: UNDP 2006
Landlines telephones
Cellular telephone subscribers
Internet users
Transparency International corruption ranking (1=least corrupt, 179=most corrupt)
Signatory of International Convention on the Prevention and Punishment for the crime of Genocide
Yes (1948)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report
Signatory of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
No (1984)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report
Signatory of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
Yes (1989)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report
| 2005 | No data available years | |
| 2004 | 59.2 years | UNDP 2006 |
| 2003 | 58.9 years | UNDP 2005 |
| 2001 | No data available years | |
| 2000 | No data available years |
Life expectancy - male
| 2005 | 55.7 years | U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007 |
| 2004 | 57.7 years | UNDP 2006 |
| 2003 | No data available years | |
| 2002 | No data available years | |
| 2001 | No data available years | |
| 2000 | No data available years |
Life expectancy - female
| 2005 | 59.9 years | U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007 |
| 2004 | 60.7 years | UNDP 2006 |
| 2003 | No data available years | |
| 2002 | No data available years | |
| 2001 | No data available years | |
| 2000 | No data available years |
Infant mortality
| 2006 | 37 per 1,000 live births | UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2008 |
| 2005 | 102 per 1,000 live births | U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) - State of the World's Children 2007 |
| 2004 | 102 per 1,000 live births | UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2006 |
| 2003 | No data available per 1,000 live births | |
| 2002 | No data available per 1,000 live births | |
| 2001 | 107 per 1,000 live births | UNDP - Human Development Report 2003 |
| 2000 | No data available per 1,000 live births |
Child mortality - deaths before the age of five
| 2006 | 46 per 1,000 live births | UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2008 |
| 2005 | 125 per 1,000 live births | UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2007 |
| 2004 | 125 per 1,000 live births | UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2006 |
| 2003 | 125 per 1,000 live births | UNDP 2005 |
| 2002 | 125 per 1,000 live births | UNDP - Human Development Report 2004 |
| 2001 | 133 per 1,000 live births | UNDP - Human Development Report 2003 |
| 2000 | No data available per 1,000 live births |
Births attended by skilled personnel
| 1997-2005 | 72 percent | U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007 |
| 1996-2004 | 72 percent | UNDP 2006 |
| 1995-2003 | 72 percent | UNDP 2005 |
| 1995-2002 | No data available percent | |
| 1995-2001 | No data available percent | |
| 1995-2000 | No data available percent |
Maternal mortality
| 2005 | No data available per 100,000 live births | |
| 2000 | 250 per 100,000 live births | UNDP 2006 |
Human development index (HDI rank)
No data available (2001)
Percentage of children under weight for age (under age 5)
| 2000-2006 | 8 percent | UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2008 |
| 1996-2005 | 12 percent | UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2007 |
| 1996-2004 | 16 percent | UNICEF - State of the World's Children 2006 |
| 1995-2003 | No data available percent | |
| 1995-2002 | No data available percent | |
| 1995-2001 | 16 percent | UNDP - Human Development Report 2003 |
| 1995-2000 | No data available percent |
Population with access to improved water
| 2006 | 77 percent | UNICEF and WHO 2008 |
| 2004 | 81 percent | UNICEF and World Health Organisation (WHO) 2006 |
| 2002 | No data available percent | |
| 2000 | No data available percent |
Population with access to improved sanitation
| 2006 | 76 percent | UNICEF and WHO 2008 |
| 2004 | 79 percent | UNICEF and WHO 2006 |
| 2002 | No data available percent |
Literacy - average
| 2004 | 74.1 percent | UNDP 2006 |
| 2003 | 39.7 percent | UNDP 2005 |
| 2001 | No data available percent | |
| 2000 | No data available percent |
Literacy - male
84.1 percent (2004)
Source: UNDP 2006
Literacy - female
64.2 percent (2004)
Source: UNDP 2006
Landlines telephones
| 2007 | 37 per 1,000 people | International Telecommunication Union (ITU) 2008 |
| 2006 | 37 per 1,000 people | ITU 2008 |
| 2005 | 37 per 1,000 people | ITU 2008 |
| 2004 | 37 per 1,000 people | ITU 2008 |
| 2003 | 43 per 1,000 people | ITU 2008 |
| 2002 | 43 per 1,000 people | ITU 2008 |
| 2001 | 26 per 1,000 people | ITU 2008 |
| 2000 | 27 per 1,000 people | ITU 2008 |
Cellular telephone subscribers
| 2007 | 484 per 1,000 people | ITU 2008 |
| 2006 | 316 per 1,000 people | ITU 2008 |
| 2005 | 53 per 1,000 people | ITU 2008 |
| 2004 | 21 per 1,000 people | ITU 2008 |
| 2003 | 3 per 1,000 people | ITU 2008 |
| 2002 | 0.8 per 1,000 people | ITU 2008 |
| 2001 | No data available per 1,000 people | |
| 2000 | No data available per 1,000 people |
Internet users
| 2007 | 2 per 1,000 people | ITU 2008 |
| 2006 | 2 per 1,000 people | ITU 2008 |
| 2005 | 2 per 1,000 people | ITU 2008 |
| 2004 | 1 per 1,000 people | ITU 2008 |
| 2003 | 1 per 1,000 people | ITU 2008 |
| 2002 | 0.9 per 1,000 people | ITU 2008 |
| 2001 | 0.5 per 1,000 people | ITU 2008 |
| 2000 | No data available per 1,000 people |
Transparency International corruption ranking (1=least corrupt, 179=most corrupt)
| 2008 | 178 (joint) | Transparency International 2008 |
| 2007 | 178 | Transparency International 2007 |
| 2006 | 160 (joint) | Transparency International |
| 2005 | 137 (joint) | Transparency International |
| 2004 | 129 (joint) | Transparency International |
| 2003 | 113 (joint) | Transparency International |
| 2002 | Not ranked | |
| 2001 | Not ranked | |
| 2000 | Not ranked |
Signatory of International Convention on the Prevention and Punishment for the crime of Genocide
Yes (1948)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report
Signatory of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
No (1984)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report
Signatory of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
Yes (1989)
Source: UNDP - Human Development Report
International humanitarian aid flows
Access the Financial Tracking Service, a global real-time database which records all reported humanitarian aid - including that for NGOs, the Red Cross/Crescent Movement, bilateral aid, in-kind aid and private donations - searchable by country.
Source: Financial Tracking Service, ReliefWeb
Percentage of population living on less than US$1 a day
No data available percent
GNI per capita, Atlas method
The purpose of the Atlas conversion factor is to reduce the impact of exchange rate fluctuations in a cross-country comparison of national incomes. The Atlas conversion factor for any year is the average of a country’s exchange rate (or alternative conversion factor) for that year and its exchange rates for the two preceding years.
GDP
Annual GDP growth
Annual inflation
Share of income or consumption (poorest 10 percent)
No data available
Share of income or consumption (richest 10 percent)
No data available
No data available percent
GNI per capita, Atlas method
| 2006 | current US$ | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
| 2005 | current US$ | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
| 2004 | current US$ | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
| 2003 | current US$ | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
| 2002 | current US$ | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
| 2001 | No data available current US$ | |
| 2000 | current US$ | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
The purpose of the Atlas conversion factor is to reduce the impact of exchange rate fluctuations in a cross-country comparison of national incomes. The Atlas conversion factor for any year is the average of a country’s exchange rate (or alternative conversion factor) for that year and its exchange rates for the two preceding years.
GDP
| 2006 | No data available current US$ billions | |
| 2005 | No data available current US$ billions | |
| 2004 | No data available current US$ billions | |
| 2003 | 12.6 current US$ billions | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
| 2002 | 19.0 current US$ billions | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
| 2001 | 18.9 current US$ billions | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
| 2000 | 25.9 current US$ billions | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
Annual GDP growth
| 2006 | percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
| 2005 | percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
| 2004 | 46.5 percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
| 2003 | -41.3 percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
| 2002 | -7.8 percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
| 2001 | -6.6 percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
| 2000 | -4.3 percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
Annual inflation
| 2006 | percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
| 2005 | percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
| 2004 | percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
| 2003 | 13.2 percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
| 2002 | 10.2 percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
| 2001 | -21.6 percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
| 2000 | 47.4 percent | World Bank Data Profile Tables 2008 |
Share of income or consumption (poorest 10 percent)
No data available
Share of income or consumption (richest 10 percent)
No data available
Physicians
Percentage HIV+ (adults aged 15-49)
No data available percent
Malaria
Risk from P.vivax from May through November, principally in areas in the north below 1500m and also in Basrah province.
Source: WHO
TB cases
| 2000-2004 | 66 per 100,000 people | U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007 |
| 1990-2004 | 66 per 100,000 people | UNDP 2006 |
| 1990-2003 | No data available per 100,000 people | |
| 1990-2002 | No data available per 100,000 people |
Percentage HIV+ (adults aged 15-49)
No data available percent
Malaria
Risk from P.vivax from May through November, principally in areas in the north below 1500m and also in Basrah province.
Source: WHO
TB cases
| 2006 | 56 per 100,000 people | WHO 2008 |
| 2005 | 56 per 100,000 people | WHO 2008 |
| 2004 | 56 per 100,000 people | WHO 2008 |
| 2003 | 56 per 100,000 people | WHO 2008 |
| 2002 | 56 per 100,000 people | WHO 2008 |
| 2001 | 56 per 100,000 people | WHO 2008 |
| 2000 | 56 per 100,000 people | WHO 2008 |
Chronology of natural disasters
Access EM-DAT, a database of natural disasters from 1900 to the present - death tolls and numbers of affected people - searchable by country.
Source: Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium
Number of refugees originating here
Number of refugees residing here
Number of internally displaced people\Estimate
Landmine casualties per year
Casualty figures may include both civilians and military personnel injured or killed by landmines and unexploded ordnance.
Signatory to landmine convention?
Yes (2007)
Source: Landmine Monitor Report
Percentage of GDP spent on military
No data available percent
Percentage of GDP spent on education
No data available percent
Percentage of GDP spent on health
| 2007 | 2279247 | UNHCR |
| 2006 | 1450905 | Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) |
| 2005 | 262142 | UNHCR |
| 2004 | 311848 | UNHCR |
| 2003 | 368581 | UNHCR |
| 2002 | 422512 | UNHCR |
| 2001 | 530511 | UNHCR |
| 2000 | 526179 | UNHCR |
Number of refugees residing here
| 2007 | 42354 | UNHCR |
| 2006 | 44406 | UNHCR |
| 2005 | 50177 | UNHCR |
| 2004 | 46053 | UNHCR |
| 2003 | 134190 | UNHCR |
| 2002 | 134190 | UNHCR |
| 2001 | 128142 | UNHCR |
| 2000 | 127787 | UNHCR |
Number of internally displaced people\Estimate
| 2008 | 2778000 | Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) 2008 | |
| 2007 | 2480000 | Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) 2008 | |
| 2006 | 1600000 | IDMC 2006 | |
| 2005 | 1300000 | IDMC 2006 | |
Landmine casualties per year
| 2004 | At least 261 | Landmine Monitor Report 2005 |
| 2003 | 2189 | Landmine Monitor Report 2005 |
Casualty figures may include both civilians and military personnel injured or killed by landmines and unexploded ordnance.
Signatory to landmine convention?
Yes (2007)
Source: Landmine Monitor Report
Percentage of GDP spent on military
No data available percent
Percentage of GDP spent on education
No data available percent
Percentage of GDP spent on health
| 2004 | 4.2 percent | U.N. Development Programme (UNDP) 2007 |
| 2003-2004 | No data available percent | |
| 2002 | 0.3 percent | UNDP 2005 |
| 2001 | No data available percent | |
| 2000 | No data available percent |
AlertNet makes every effort to ensure statistics are updated from the relevant sources as soon as they are available.
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