{ "Introduction": { "Background": { "text": "

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 Hussein, from 1979 to 2003. Territorial disputes with Iran led to an inconclusive and costly war from 1980 to 1988. In 1990, Iraq seized Kuwait but was expelled by US-led UN coalition forces during the two-month-long Gulf War of 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 2003, when US-led forces ousted the SADDAM regime.

In 2005, Iraqis approved a constitution in a national referendum and elected a 275-member Council of Representatives (COR). The COR approved most of the cabinet ministers, 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 2021. The COR approved Mohammad Shia' al-SUDANI as prime minister in 2022. Iraq has repeatedly postponed 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.

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 2017, then-Prime Minister Haydar al-ABADI publicly declared victory against ISIS, although military operations against the group continue in rural areas. Also in 2017, Baghdad forcefully seized disputed territories across central and northern Iraq from the KRG, after a non-binding Kurdish independence referendum.

" } }, "Geography": { "Location": { "text": "Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait" }, "Geographic coordinates": { "text": "33 00 N, 44 00 E" }, "Map references": { "text": "Middle East" }, "Area": { "total ": { "text": "438,317 sq km" }, "land": { "text": "437,367 sq km" }, "water": { "text": "950 sq km" } }, "Area - comparative": { "text": "slightly more than three times the size of New York state" }, "Land boundaries": { "total": { "text": "3,809 km" }, "border countries": { "text": "Iran 1,599 km; Jordan 179 km; Kuwait 254 km; Saudi Arabia 811 km; Syria 599 km; Turkey 367 km" } }, "Coastline": { "text": "58 km" }, "Maritime claims": { "territorial sea": { "text": "12 nm" }, "continental shelf": { "text": "not specified" } }, "Climate": { "text": "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" }, "Terrain": { "text": "mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey" }, "Elevation": { "highest point": { "text": "Cheekha Dar (Kurdish for \"Black Tent\") 3,611 m" }, "lowest point": { "text": "Persian Gulf 0 m" }, "mean elevation": { "text": "312 m" } }, "Natural resources": { "text": "petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur" }, "Land use": { "agricultural land": { "text": "18.1% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: arable land": { "text": "arable land: 8.4% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent crops": { "text": "permanent crops: 0.5% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent pasture": { "text": "permanent pasture: 9.2% (2018 est.)" }, "forest": { "text": "1.9% (2018 est.)" }, "other": { "text": "80% (2018 est.)" } }, "Irrigated land": { "text": "35,250 sq km (2012)" }, "Major lakes (area sq km)": { "fresh water lake(s)": { "text": "Lake Hammar - 1,940 sq km" } }, "Major rivers (by length in km)": { "text": "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 Arab
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth" }, "Major watersheds (area sq km)": { "text": "Indian Ocean drainage: (Persian Gulf) Tigris and Euphrates (918,044 sq km)" }, "Major aquifers": { "text": "Arabian Aquifer System" }, "Population distribution": { "text": "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" }, "Natural hazards": { "text": "dust storms; sandstorms; floods" }, "Geography - note": { "text": "strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of the Persian Gulf" } }, "People and Society": { "Population": { "total": { "text": "42,083,436" }, "male": { "text": "21,193,356" }, "female": { "text": "20,890,080 (2024 est.)" } }, "Nationality": { "noun": { "text": "Iraqi(s)" }, "adjective": { "text": "Iraqi" } }, "Ethnic groups": { "text": "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" }, "Languages": { "Languages": { "text": "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" }, "major-language sample(s)": { "text": "
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.

" } }, "Religions": { "text": "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" }, "Age structure": { "0-14 years": { "text": "34.6% (male 7,447,266/female 7,130,883)" }, "15-64 years": { "text": "61.7% (male 13,064,516/female 12,907,702)" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "3.6% (2024 est.) (male 681,574/female 851,495)" } }, "Dependency ratios": { "total dependency ratio": { "text": "71" }, "youth dependency ratio": { "text": "65.2" }, "elderly dependency ratio": { "text": "5.8" }, "potential support ratio": { "text": "17.1 (2021 est.)" } }, "Median age": { "total": { "text": "22.4 years (2024 est.)" }, "male": { "text": "22 years" }, "female": { "text": "22.7 years" } }, "Population growth rate": { "text": "1.99% (2024 est.)" }, "Birth rate": { "text": "23.7 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)" }, "Death rate": { "text": "3.9 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)" }, "Net migration rate": { "text": "0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)" }, "Population distribution": { "text": "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": { "text": "71.6% of total population (2023)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.91% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" } }, "Major urban areas - population": { "text": "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": { "text": "1.05 male(s)/female" }, "0-14 years": { "text": "1.04 male(s)/female" }, "15-64 years": { "text": "1.01 male(s)/female" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "0.8 male(s)/female" }, "total population": { "text": "1.02 male(s)/female (2024 est.)" } }, "Maternal mortality ratio": { "text": "76 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)" }, "Infant mortality rate": { "total": { "text": "18.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)" }, "male": { "text": "20.4 deaths/1,000 live births" }, "female": { "text": "17 deaths/1,000 live births" } }, "Life expectancy at birth": { "total population": { "text": "73.7 years (2024 est.)" }, "male": { "text": "71.9 years" }, "female": { "text": "75.7 years" } }, "Total fertility rate": { "text": "3.1 children born/woman (2024 est.)" }, "Gross reproduction rate": { "text": "1.51 (2024 est.)" }, "Contraceptive prevalence rate": { "text": "52.8% (2018)" }, "Drinking water source": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: 100% of population" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: 97.4% of population" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 99.3% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: 0% of population" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: 2.6% of population" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 0.7% of population (2020 est.)" } }, "Current health expenditure": { "text": "5.1% of GDP (2020)" }, "Physician density": { "text": "0.97 physicians/1,000 population (2020)" }, "Hospital bed density": { "text": "1.3 beds/1,000 population (2017)" }, "Sanitation facility access": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: 100% of population" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: 100% of population" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 100% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: 0% of population" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: 0% of population" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 0% of population (2020 est.)" } }, "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": { "text": "30.4% (2016)" }, "Alcohol consumption per capita": { "total": { "text": "0.16 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "beer": { "text": "0.11 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "wine": { "text": "0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "spirits": { "text": "0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" }, "other alcohols": { "text": "0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)" } }, "Tobacco use": { "total": { "text": "18.5% (2020 est.)" }, "male": { "text": "35.1% (2020 est.)" }, "female": { "text": "1.8% (2020 est.)" } }, "Children under the age of 5 years underweight": { "text": "3.9% (2018)" }, "Currently married women (ages 15-49)": { "text": "65.5% (2023 est.)" }, "Child marriage": { "women married by age 15": { "text": "7.2%" }, "women married by age 18": { "text": "27.9% (2018 est.)" } }, "Education expenditures": { "text": "4.7% of GDP (2016)" }, "Literacy": { "definition": { "text": "age 15 and over can read and write" }, "total population": { "text": "85.6%" }, "male": { "text": "91.2%" }, "female": { "text": "79.9% (2017)" } } }, "Environment": { "Environment - current issues": { "text": "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": { "text": "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": { "text": "Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Environmental Modification" } }, "Climate": { "text": "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" }, "Land use": { "agricultural land": { "text": "18.1% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: arable land": { "text": "arable land: 8.4% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent crops": { "text": "permanent crops: 0.5% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent pasture": { "text": "permanent pasture: 9.2% (2018 est.)" }, "forest": { "text": "1.9% (2018 est.)" }, "other": { "text": "80% (2018 est.)" } }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { "text": "71.6% of total population (2023)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "2.91% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" } }, "Food insecurity": { "severe localized food insecurity": { "text": "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)" } }, "Revenue from forest resources": { "text": "0% of GDP (2018 est.)" }, "Revenue from coal": { "text": "0% of GDP (2018 est.)" }, "Air pollutants": { "particulate matter emissions": { "text": "39.29 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)" }, "carbon dioxide emissions": { "text": "190.06 megatons (2016 est.)" }, "methane emissions": { "text": "17.44 megatons (2020 est.)" } }, "Waste and recycling": { "municipal solid waste generated annually": { "text": "13.14 million tons (2015 est.)" } }, "Major lakes (area sq km)": { "fresh water lake(s)": { "text": "Lake Hammar - 1,940 sq km" } }, "Major rivers (by length in km)": { "text": "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 Arab
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth" }, "Major watersheds (area sq km)": { "text": "Indian Ocean drainage: (Persian Gulf) Tigris and Euphrates (918,044 sq km)" }, "Major aquifers": { "text": "Arabian Aquifer System" }, "Total water withdrawal": { "municipal": { "text": "6.9 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)" }, "industrial": { "text": "5.49 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)" }, "agricultural": { "text": "44.23 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)" } }, "Total renewable water resources": { "text": "89.86 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)" } }, "Government": { "Country name": { "conventional long form": { "text": "Republic of Iraq" }, "conventional short form": { "text": "Iraq" }, "local long form": { "text": "Jumhuriyat al-Iraq/Komar-i Eraq" }, "local short form": { "text": "Al Iraq/Eraq" }, "former": { "text": "Mesopotamia, Mandatory Iraq, Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq" }, "etymology": { "text": "the name probably derives from \"Uruk\" (Biblical \"Erech\"), the ancient Sumerian and Babylonian city on the Euphrates River" } }, "Government type": { "text": "federal parliamentary republic" }, "Capital": { "name": { "text": "Baghdad" }, "geographic coordinates": { "text": "33 20 N, 44 24 E" }, "time difference": { "text": "UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)" }, "etymology": { "text": "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\"" } }, "Administrative divisions": { "text": "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)" }, "Independence": { "text": "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" }, "National holiday": { "text": "Independence Day, 3 October (1932); Republic Day, 14 July (1958)" }, "Legal system": { "text": "mixed legal system of civil and Islamic law" }, "Constitution": { "history": { "text": "several previous; latest adopted by referendum 15 October 2005" }, "amendments": { "text": "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" } }, "International law organization participation": { "text": "has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt" }, "Citizenship": { "citizenship by birth": { "text": "no" }, "citizenship by descent only": { "text": "at least one parent must be a citizen of Iraq" }, "dual citizenship recognized": { "text": "yes" }, "residency requirement for naturalization": { "text": "10 years" } }, "Suffrage": { "text": "18 years of age; universal" }, "Executive branch": { "chief of state": { "text": "President Latif RASHID (since 13 October 2022)" }, "head of government": { "text": "Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-SUDANI (since 27 October 2022)" }, "cabinet": { "text": "Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, approved by Council of Representatives (COR)" }, "elections/appointments": { "text": "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)" }, "election results": { "text": "
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 minister

2018: 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" } }, "Legislative branch": { "legislature name": { "text": "Council of Representatives of Iraq" }, "legislative structure": { "text": "unicameral" }, "number of seats": { "text": "329 (all directly elected)" }, "electoral system": { "text": "other systems" }, "scope of elections": { "text": "full renewal" }, "term in office": { "text": "4 years" }, "most recent election date": { "text": "10/10/2021" }, "parties elected and seats per party": { "text": "Sadrist Bloc (73); National Progress Alliance / Taqadum (37); State of Law Coalition (33); Kurdistan Democratic Party (31); Fatah Alliance (17); Kurdistan Alliance (17); Independents (43); Other (78)" }, "percentage of women in chamber": { "text": "28.9%" }, "expected date of next election": { "text": "October 2025" }, "note": "note: seat counts reflect updated numbers following the 12 June 2022 Sadrist Trend withdrawal from government formation; its 73 seats were reallocated to other parties" }, "Judicial branch": { "highest court(s)": { "text": "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": { "text": "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": { "text": "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" } }, "Political parties": { "text": "Al Fatah Alliance
Azm Alliance
Babiliyun Movement
Imtidad
Ishraqat Konun
Kurdistan Democratic Party
National Contract Party
New Generation Movement
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan
Sadrist Bloc
State Forces Alliance
State of Law Coalition
Taqadum
Tasmim Alliance" }, "International organization participation": { "text": "ABEDA, AFESD, AIIB, 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)" }, "Diplomatic representation in the US": { "chief of mission": { "text": "Ambassador Nazar Issa Abdulhadi AL-KHIRULLAH (since 30 June 2023)" }, "chancery": { "text": "1801 P Street NW, Washington, DC 20036" }, "telephone": { "text": "[1] (202) 483-7500" }, "FAX": { "text": "[1] (202) 462-8815" }, "email address and website": { "text": "
washington@scrdiraq.gov.iq

https://www.iraqiembassy.us/" }, "consulate(s) general": { "text": "Detroit, Los Angeles" } }, "Diplomatic representation from the US": { "chief of mission": { "text": "Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires Daniel Rubinstein (since 28 January 2025)" }, "embassy": { "text": "Al-Kindi Street, International Zone, Baghdad; note - consulate in Al Basrah closed as of 28 September 2018" }, "mailing address": { "text": "6060 Baghdad Place, Washington DC  20521-6060" }, "telephone": { "text": "0760-030-3000" }, "email address and website": { "text": "
BaghdadACS@state.gov

https://iq.usembassy.gov/" } }, "Flag description": { "text": "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" }, "National symbol(s)": { "text": "golden eagle; national colors: red, white, black" }, "National anthem": { "name": { "text": "\"Mawtini\" (My Homeland)" }, "lyrics/music": { "text": "Ibrahim TOUQAN/Mohammad FLAYFEL" }, "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": { "total World Heritage Sites": { "text": "6 (5 cultural, 1 mixed)" }, "selected World Heritage Site locales": { "text": "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)" } } }, "Economy": { "Economic overview": { "text": "highly oil-dependent Middle Eastern economy; fiscal sustainability subject to fluctuation in oil prices; rising public confidence in economic conditions; import-dependent for most sectors; persistent challenges of corruption, informal markets, banking access, and political fragility" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": { "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023": { "text": "$572.939 billion (2023 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022": { "text": "$590.267 billion (2022 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021": { "text": "$548.372 billion (2021 est.)" }, "note": "note: data in 2021 dollars" }, "Real GDP growth rate": { "Real GDP growth rate 2023": { "text": "-2.94% (2023 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2022": { "text": "7.64% (2022 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2021": { "text": "1.5% (2021 est.)" }, "note": "note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency" }, "Real GDP per capita": { "Real GDP per capita 2023": { "text": "$12,700 (2023 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2022": { "text": "$13,400 (2022 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2021": { "text": "$12,700 (2021 est.)" }, "note": "note: data in 2021 dollars" }, "GDP (official exchange rate)": { "text": "$250.843 billion (2023 est.)", "note": "note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices)": { "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023": { "text": "4.36% (2023 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022": { "text": "4.99% (2022 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021": { "text": "6.04% (2021 est.)" }, "note": "note: annual % change based on consumer prices" }, "Credit ratings": { "Fitch rating": { "text": "B- (2015)" }, "Moody's rating": { "text": "Caa1 (2017)" }, "Standard & Poors rating": { "text": "B- (2015)" }, "note": "note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained." }, "GDP - composition, by sector of origin": { "agriculture": { "text": "2.8% (2023 est.)" }, "industry": { "text": "55.6% (2023 est.)" }, "services": { "text": "42.3% (2023 est.)" }, "note": "note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data" }, "GDP - composition, by end use": { "household consumption": { "text": "31.8% (2022 est.)" }, "government consumption": { "text": "15.7% (2022 est.)" }, "investment in fixed capital": { "text": "9.7% (2022 est.)" }, "investment in inventories": { "text": "12.6% (2022 est.)" }, "exports of goods and services": { "text": "44.6% (2022 est.)" }, "imports of goods and services": { "text": "-24.3% (2022 est.)" }, "note": "note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection" }, "Agricultural products": { "text": "wheat, dates, tomatoes, maize, watermelons, grapes, potatoes, milk, cucumbers/gherkins, eggplants (2022)", "note": "note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage" }, "Industries": { "text": "petroleum, chemicals, textiles, leather, construction materials, food processing, fertilizer, metal fabrication/processing" }, "Industrial production growth rate": { "text": "-6.34% (2023 est.)", "note": "note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency" }, "Labor force": { "text": "11.744 million (2023 est.)", "note": "note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work" }, "Unemployment rate": { "Unemployment rate 2023": { "text": "15.53% (2023 est.)" }, "Unemployment rate 2022": { "text": "15.59% (2022 est.)" }, "Unemployment rate 2021": { "text": "16.17% (2021 est.)" }, "note": "note: % of labor force seeking employment" }, "Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)": { "total": { "text": "32.2% (2023 est.)" }, "male": { "text": "27.8% (2023 est.)" }, "female": { "text": "62% (2023 est.)" }, "note": "note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment" }, "Population below poverty line": { "text": "23% (2014 est.)" }, "Average household expenditures": { "on food": { "text": "28.7% of household expenditures (2023 est.)" }, "on alcohol and tobacco": { "text": "4.3% of household expenditures (2023 est.)" } }, "Remittances": { "Remittances 2023": { "text": "0.46% of GDP (2023 est.)" }, "Remittances 2022": { "text": "0.38% of GDP (2022 est.)" }, "Remittances 2021": { "text": "0.4% of GDP (2021 est.)" }, "note": "note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities" }, "Budget": { "revenues": { "text": "$90.204 billion (2019 est.)" }, "expenditures": { "text": "$64.512 billion (2019 est.)" }, "note": "note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated" }, "Public debt": { "Public debt 2018": { "text": "27.44% of GDP (2018 est.)" }, "note": "note: central government debt as a % of GDP" }, "Taxes and other revenues": { "text": "1.34% (of GDP) (2019 est.)", "note": "note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP" }, "Current account balance": { "Current account balance 2023": { "text": "$28.375 billion (2023 est.)" }, "Current account balance 2022": { "text": "$58.01 billion (2022 est.)" }, "Current account balance 2021": { "text": "$24.565 billion (2021 est.)" }, "note": "note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars" }, "Exports": { "Exports 2023": { "text": "$107.852 billion (2023 est.)" }, "Exports 2022": { "text": "$127.079 billion (2022 est.)" }, "Exports 2021": { "text": "$78.261 billion (2021 est.)" }, "note": "note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars" }, "Exports - partners": { "text": "India 32%, China 28%, US 8%, South Korea 7%, Greece 5% (2022)", "note": "note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports" }, "Exports - commodities": { "text": "crude petroleum, refined petroleum, gold, petroleum coke, natural gas (2022)", "note": "note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars" }, "Imports": { "Imports 2023": { "text": "$81.179 billion (2023 est.)" }, "Imports 2022": { "text": "$69.162 billion (2022 est.)" }, "Imports 2021": { "text": "$50.707 billion (2021 est.)" }, "note": "note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars" }, "Imports - partners": { "text": "UAE 32%, China 21%, Turkey 20%, India 4%, South Korea 2% (2022)", "note": "note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports" }, "Imports - commodities": { "text": "refined petroleum, broadcasting equipment, cars, jewelry, garments (2022)", "note": "note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars" }, "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold": { "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023": { "text": "$112.233 billion (2023 est.)" }, "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022": { "text": "$97.009 billion (2022 est.)" }, "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021": { "text": "$64.231 billion (2021 est.)" }, "note": "note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars" }, "Debt - external": { "Debt - external 2023": { "text": "$16.092 billion (2023 est.)" }, "note": "note: present value of external debt in current US dollars" }, "Exchange rates": { "Currency": { "text": "Iraqi dinars (IQD) per US dollar -" }, "Exchange rates 2023": { "text": "1,312.5 (2023 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2022": { "text": "1,450 (2022 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2021": { "text": "1,450 (2021 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2020": { "text": "1,192 (2020 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2019": { "text": "1,182 (2019 est.)" } } }, "Energy": { "Electricity access": { "electrification - total population": { "text": "100% (2022 est.)" } }, "Electricity": { "installed generating capacity": { "text": "31.339 million kW (2022 est.)" }, "consumption": { "text": "65.908 billion kWh (2022 est.)" }, "imports": { "text": "3.534 billion kWh (2022 est.)" }, "transmission/distribution losses": { "text": "71.17 billion kWh (2022 est.)" } }, "Electricity generation sources": { "fossil fuels": { "text": "98% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)" }, "hydroelectricity": { "text": "2% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)" } }, "Coal": { "imports": { "text": "3,000 metric tons (2022 est.)" } }, "Petroleum": { "total petroleum production": { "text": "4.437 million bbl/day (2023 est.)" }, "refined petroleum consumption": { "text": "918,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)" }, "crude oil estimated reserves": { "text": "145.019 billion barrels (2021 est.)" } }, "Natural gas": { "production": { "text": "9.86 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)" }, "consumption": { "text": "19.298 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)" }, "imports": { "text": "9.438 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)" }, "proven reserves": { "text": "3.729 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)" } }, "Carbon dioxide emissions": { "total emissions": { "text": "156.892 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)" }, "from coal and metallurgical coke": { "text": "6,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)" }, "from petroleum and other liquids": { "text": "119.027 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)" }, "from consumed natural gas": { "text": "37.858 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)" } }, "Energy consumption per capita": { "Total energy consumption per capita 2022": { "text": "57.702 million Btu/person (2022 est.)" } } }, "Communications": { "Telephones - fixed lines": { "total subscriptions": { "text": "1.977 million (2023 est.)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "4 (2023 est.)" } }, "Telephones - mobile cellular": { "total subscriptions": { "text": "45.7 million (2023 est.)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "98 (2022 est.)" } }, "Telecommunication systems": { "general assessment": { "text": "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)" }, "domestic": { "text": "about 7 per 100 for fixed-line and 86 per 100 for mobile-cellular subscriptions (2021)" }, "international": { "text": "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)" } }, "Broadcast media": { "text": "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": { "text": ".iq" }, "Internet users": { "percent of population": { "text": "79% (2022 est.)" } }, "Broadband - fixed subscriptions": { "total": { "text": "7.77 million (2023 est.)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "17 (2023 est.)" } } }, "Transportation": { "National air transport system": { "number of registered air carriers": { "text": "4 (2020)" }, "inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers": { "text": "34" }, "annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers": { "text": "2,075,065 (2018)" }, "annual freight traffic on registered air carriers": { "text": "16.2 million (2018) mt-km" } }, "Civil aircraft registration country code prefix": { "text": "YI" }, "Airports": { "text": "71 (2024)" }, "Heliports": { "text": "10 (2024)" }, "Pipelines": { "text": "2,455 km gas, 913 km liquid petroleum gas, 5,432 km oil, 1,637 km refined products (2013)" }, "Railways": { "total": { "text": "2,272 km (2014)" }, "standard gauge": { "text": "2,272 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge" } }, "Roadways": { "total": { "text": "58,592 km (2021)" } }, "Waterways": { "text": "5,279 km (2012) (the Euphrates River (2,815 km), Tigris River (1,899 km), and Third River (565 km) are the principal waterways)" }, "Merchant marine": { "total": { "text": "74 (2023)" }, "by type": { "text": "general cargo 1, oil tanker 6, other 67" } }, "Ports": { "total ports": { "text": "6 (2024)" }, "large": { "text": "0" }, "medium": { "text": "1" }, "small": { "text": "1" }, "very small": { "text": "4" }, "ports with oil terminals": { "text": "3" }, "key ports": { "text": "Al Basrah, Al-Basra Oil Terminal, Khawr Al Amaya, Khawr Al Zubair, Umm Qasr" } } }, "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { "text": "Ministry of Defense: Iraqi Army, Army Aviation Command, Iraqi Navy, Iraqi Air Force, Iraqi Air Defense Command, Special Forces Command, Special Security Division

National-Level Security Forces: Iraqi Counterterrorism Service (CTS; reports to the Prime Minister), Prime Minister's Special Forces (Security) Division, Presidential Brigades

Ministry of Interior: Federal Police Forces Command, Border Guard Forces Command, Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency, Emergency Response Division, Facilities Protection Directorate, and Provincial Police

Ministry of Oil: Energy Police Directorate

Popular 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 interests

the 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 and participate in the staffing of the joint KDP-PUK Regional Guard Brigades: 

KRG Ministry of Peshmerga: Unit (or Division) 70 Forces and Counter Terrorism Group (CTG) of the PUK; Unit (or Division) 80 Forces and Counterterrorism Directorate (CTD) of the KDP; Regional Guard Brigades

KRG 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 (2024)", "note": "note: the Iraqi military and associated forces are collectively known as the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF)" }, "Military expenditures": { "Military Expenditures 2023": { "text": "3% of GDP (2023 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2022": { "text": "2.1% of GDP (2022 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2021": { "text": "3.7% of GDP (2021 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2020": { "text": "4.1% of GDP (2020 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { "text": "3.8% of GDP (2019 est.)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { "text": "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 20-25,000 National-Level Security Forces; estimated 200,000+ Popular Mobilization Forces

Ministry 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": { "text": "the Iraqi military's inventory includes a mix of equipment from a wide variety of sources, including China, several European countries, South Africa, South Korea, Russia, and the US (2024)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "18-40 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2023)", "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 to the Iraqi parliament; as of 2023, the proposed law had been shelved" }, "Military - note": { "text": "the Iraqi security forces (ISF) 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), which is comprised of three special forces brigades, is the ISF's principal operational unit against ISIS

Kurdish Security Forces (KSF, aka Peshmerga) also conduct operations against ISIS; the KSF are recognized as a legitimate Iraqi military force under the country’s constitution and have operated jointly with the Iraqi military against ISIS militants, but largely 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 Defense

Popular 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 are not always clear-cut and may be loosely based on financial, legal, or political incentives

two international military task forces operate in Iraq to assist the country's security forces at the request of the Iraqi Government; in October 2018, NATO established an advisory, training and capacity-building mission for the Iraqi military known as the NATO Mission Iraq (NMI); in December 2021, a US-led 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 (2024)" } }, "Terrorism": { "Terrorist group(s)": { "text": "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 the Terrorism reference guide" } }, "Transnational Issues": { "Refugees and internally displaced persons": { "refugees (country of origin)": { "text": "7,864 (West Bank and Gaza Strip) (mid-year 2022); 273,258 (Syria), 8,575 (Iran), 8,091 (Turkey) (2023)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "1.142 million (displacement in central and northern Iraq since January 2014) (2023)" }, "stateless persons": { "text": "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" } } } }