Iraq

Government
Name	Republic of Iraq
Arabic	جمهورية العراق
Kurdish	کۆماری عێراق
Government type	Federal parliamentary republic
Capital	Baghdad (7,144,000 (2018))
Currency	Iraqi dinar (IQD)
People
Population (2020)	40,222,503 (36th)
Density of population	82.7 P/km2 (125th)
Nationality	Iraqi
Official languages
Arabic
Kurdish
Recognised regional languages
Turkmen (a Turkish dialect)
Syriac (Neo-Aramaic)
Armenian
Ethnic groups (1987)
Arab	75-80%
Kurdish	15-20%
Other	5%
Religions (2015)
Muslim (official)	95-98%
Shia	64-69%
Sunni	29-34%
Christian	1%
Other	1-4%
Life expectancy (2020)
Male	70.7 years
Female	74.6 years
Total population	72.6 years (152th)
Homicides
Total (2013)	10.1 per 100,000 people (34th)
Geography
Land area	437,367 km2
water area	950 km2
total area	438,317 km2 (60th)
Mean elevation	312 m
Lowest point
Persian Gulf	0 m
Highest point
Cheekha Dar (Kurdish for “Black Tent”)	3,611 m
Land use (2011)
Agricultural land	18.1%
Arable land	8.4%
Permanent crops	0.5%
Permanent pasture	9.2%
Forest	1.9%
Other	80%
Urbanization
Urban population (2020)	70.9%
Rate of urbanization	3.06% annual rate of change (2015 – 2020)
Economy
Labor force (2010)	8.9 million  (57th)
Labor force by occupation (2008)
Agriculture	21.6%
Industry	18.7%
Services	59.8%
Unemployment rate (2012)	16% (175th)
GDP (PPP) (estimate 2019)
Total	$733.926 billion (34th)
Per capita	$17,952 (76th)
GDP (nominal) (estimate 2019)
Total	$250.070 billion (48th)
Per capita	$6,116 (97th)
GDP by sector (estimate 2017)
Agriculture	3.3%
Industry	51%
Services	45.8%
Exports (2017)	$61.4 billion (46th)
Exports partners (2017)
India	21.2%
China	20.2%
US	15.8%
South Korea	9.4%
Greece	5.3%
Netherlands	4.8%
Italy	4.7%
Imports (2017)	$39.47 billion (60th)
Imports partners (2017)
Turkey	27.8%
China	25.7%
South Korea	4.7%
Russia	4.3%

Iraq on the world map

Iraq is located in Asia and more specifically in the Middle East.

Iraq top 10 largest cities (2018)

1. Baghdad (Baghdad)
2. Mosul (1,361,800)
3. Basra (1,340,800)
4. Kirkuk (972,300)
5. Erbil (879,000)
6. Najaf (747,300)
7. Karbala (711,500)
8. Sulaymaniyah (676,500)
9. Nasiriyah (558,400)
10. Amarah (527,500)

Demography

Population pyramid

Age structure data

Estimate for 2020:

• 0-14 years: 37.02% (male 7,349,868/female 7,041,405)
• 15-24 years: 19.83% (male 3,918,433/female 3,788,157)
• 25-54 years: 35.59% (male 6,919,569/female 6,914,856)
• 55-64 years: 4.23% (male 805,397/female 839,137)
• 65 years and over: 3.33% (male 576,593/female 719,240)

Remark: the age structure of a population affects a nation’s key socioeconomic issues. Countries with young populations (high percentage under age 15) need to invest more in schools, while countries with older populations (high percentage ages 65 and over) need to invest more in the health sector. The age structure can also be used to help predict potential political issues. For example, the rapid growth of a young adult population unable to find employment can lead to unrest.

Population from 1950 to 2020

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Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2019). World Population Prospects 2019, Online Edition. Rev. 1.

Evolution of the life expectancy from 1960 to 2018

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Source: World Development Indicators, The World Bank

Economy

Agriculture:

wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, cotton; cattle, sheep, poultry

Industries:

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

Exports – commodities:

crude oil 99%, crude materials excluding fuels, food, live animals

Imports – commodities:

food, medicine, manufactures

Time zone and current time in Iraq

Go to our interactive map to get the current time in Iraq