# Demographics of Iraq

The Iraqi people (Arabic: العراقيون; Kurdish: گه‌لی عێراق; Syriac: ܥܡܐ ܥܝܪܩܝܐ) are people originating from the country of Iraq.
Iraqi Arabs are the largest ethnic group in Iraq, followed by Iraqi Kurds, then Iraqi Turkmen as the third largest ethnic group in the country. Studies indicate that Mesopotamian Arabs, who make up the overwhelming majority of Iraq's population, are genetically distinct from other Arab populations in the Arabs of the Arabian peninsula.
The population was estimated to be 46,118,554 in 2024 Turkmens (3 million), Assyrians (0.5 million), Yazidis (500,000), Armenians, Marsh Arabs, and Shabaks (250,000). Other minorities include Mandaeans (3,000), Roma (50,000) and Circassians (2,000). The most spoken languages are Mesopotamian Arabic, Kurdish, Assyrian Syriac and Iraqi Turkmen dialects. 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, but this was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was rescheduled to November 2022 but was postponed again with an "electronic national population census" planned in the last quarter of 2023.
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 all governorates on the set date. 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.

## Population

39,650,145 (2021 estimate), 43,533,592 (2021 estimate), up from 31,234,000 (April 2009 IMF estimate)

### Structure of the population

Structure of the population (1 July 2013) (Estimates):
| 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):
| 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
### UN estimates (based on UN WPP Revision 2022)

Note: This table uses the sticky table format to make scrolling easier. If you prefer, you can disable it.
| Year | Live births per year | Deaths per year | Natural change | CBR$^1$ | CDR$^1$ | NC$^1$ | IMR$^1$ | 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 |
| $^1$ CBR = 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

| Age groups | 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

Average life expectancy at birth of the total population.
| 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

Iraq's dominant ethnic group is Arabs, who account for more than three-quarters of the population.
According to the CIA World Factbook, citing a 1987 Iraqi government estimate, the population of Iraq is formed of 75-80% Arabs (including Marsh Arabs) followed by 15-20% Kurds and other minorities form 5% of the country's population, including the Turkmen, Kaka'i, Bedouins, Roma, Assyrians, Circassians, Mandaeans, and Persians.
However, the International Crisis Group points 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; consequently, this skewed the number of other ethnic minorities, such as Iraq's third largest ethnic group – the Turkmen.

## Languages

Arabic and Kurdish are 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 as Syriac and Mandaic are spoken, as well as the Iraqi Turkmen language, and various other indigenous languages.
Kurdish, including several dialects, is the second largest language and has regional language status 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. The Iraqi Turkmen dialect is spoken in parts of northern Iraq, numerous languages of the Caucasus are also spoken by minorities, notably the Chechen community.

## Religions

* Shia Islam (61%)
* Sunni Islam (34%)
* Christianity (2%)
* Other (3%)
The CIA World Factbook estimated in 2015 that between 95-98% of Iraqis followed Islam, with 61-64% being Shia and 29-34% being Sunni. Christianity accounted for 2%, and the rest (1-4%) practiced Yazidism, Mandaeism, and other religions.
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 of Saddam Hussein in 2003, with many fleeing to Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon (2010 estimate). 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.
Nearly all Iraqi Kurds identify as Sunni Muslims. A 2014 survey in Iraq concluded that "98% of Kurds in Iraq identified themselves as Sunnis and only 2% identified as Shias". The religious differences between Sunni Arabs and Sunni Kurds are small. While 98 percent of Shia Arabs believe that visiting the shrines of saints is acceptable, 71 percent of Sunni Arabs did and 59 percent of Sunni Kurds support this practice. About 94 percent of the population in Iraqi Kurdistan is Muslim.