Page last modified 19 August 2023
Iraq
Community
Area 438,317 square kilometres (land area 437,367 square kilometres)
Population,
2,250,000 (1900)
3,560,456 (1935)
4,611,530 (1945)
5,163,000 (1950)
7,300,000 (1960) +41.4%
9,900,000 (1970) +35.6%
13,650,000 (1980) +37.9%
17,500,000 (1990) +28.2%
23,500,000 (2000) +34.3%
29,740,000 (2010) +26.6%
40,222,000 (2020) +35.2%
Ethnicity, %
|
|
Arab |
Iranian |
Kurdish |
Turkish |
|
1946 |
79.2 |
3.1 |
12.3 |
|
|
1975 |
78.0 |
1.0 |
18.0 |
|
|
1990 |
77.0 |
|
19.0 |
2.0 |
|
2000 |
80.0 |
|
17.0 |
|
Religion, %
|
|
Christian |
Jewish |
Muslim Total |
Muslim Shia |
Muslim Sunni |
|
1900 |
6.4 |
4.0 |
89.5 |
|
|
|
1910 |
6.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
1935 |
2.8 |
2.6 |
88.1 |
|
|
|
1945 |
|
2.5 |
93.0 |
|
|
|
1951 |
5.0 |
|
93.5 |
|
|
|
1960 |
3.0 |
|
94.0 |
|
|
|
1970 |
4.1 |
0.0 |
95.3 |
|
|
|
1980 |
|
0.0 |
95.0 |
|
|
|
1990 |
|
|
92.0 |
51.0 |
41.0 |
|
2013 |
5.0 |
|
95.0 |
63.0 |
32.0 |
Birth and death rates Below replacement rate = 2.1
|
|
Fertility Rate |
Birth Rate |
Infant Mortality |
Death Rate |
% Aged Under 15 |
% Aged Over 65 |
% Urban |
|
1952 |
|
49.0 (+27.0) |
165.0 |
22.0 |
45.7 |
2.7 |
34.9 |
|
1962 |
6.5 |
49.0 (+33.0) |
117.5 |
16.0 |
42.1 |
3.4 |
46.0 |
|
1970 |
7.4 |
48.0 (+36.3) |
81.0 |
11.7 |
44.6 |
4.0 |
56.2 |
|
1980 |
6.6 |
40.0 (+30.3) |
54.7 |
9.7 |
46.8 |
4.1 |
65.5 |
|
1990 |
5.9 |
38.0 (+31.0) |
42.4 |
7.0 |
45.9 |
3.8 |
69.7 |
|
2000 |
4.9 |
35.6 (+30.0) |
36.0 |
5.6 |
43.0 |
3.5 |
68.5 |
|
2010 |
4.3 |
34.8 (+29.3) |
28.6 |
5.6 |
41.7 |
3.3 |
69.0 |
|
2015 |
4.0 |
33.6 (+28.6) |
24.6 |
5.1 |
39.3 |
3.1 |
69.5 |
|
2017 |
3.8 |
29.7 (+24.7) |
23.2 |
5.0 |
|
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
22.5 |
|
38.4 |
3.3 |
70.5 |
Life expectancy,
44.0 (1952); 43.0 (M), 45.0 (F)
48.0 (1960); 48.5 (M), 47.6 (F)
58.1 (1970); 58.4 (M), 57.9 (F)
60.4 (1980); 56.8* (M), 64.2 (F)
66.1 (1990); 62.8 (M), 70.0 (F)
69.2 (2000); 67.0 (M), 71.5 (F)
68.5 (2010); 65.8 (M), 71.2 (F)
70.6 (2020); 68.6 (M), 72.7 (F)
*Dip in male life expectancy during Iran-Iraq War. Lowest male life expectancy was in 1983, 54.4 years. Trend male life expectancy for 1983 was c. 62.0 years.
Population of principal cities, 1,000s MA = Metropolitan Area
|
|
BAGHDAD1 |
Basra2 |
Irbil |
Karbala3 |
Kirkuk |
Mosul4 |
|
1850 |
65 |
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
1900 |
|
18 |
|
|
|
40 |
|
1910 |
150 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1935 |
287 |
50 |
|
65 |
|
60 |
|
1956 |
731 |
159 |
|
|
90 |
140 |
|
1960 |
|
|
35 |
45 |
135 |
200 |
|
1970 |
1,500 |
334 |
107 |
170 |
208 |
293 |
|
1977 |
3,206 |
|
|
|
483 |
|
|
1985 |
|
|
334 |
184 |
570 |
570 |
|
1990 |
4,000 |
850 |
|
296 |
|
|
|
1995 |
|
|
1,743 |
|
|
879 |
|
1999 |
4,689 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
2010 |
5,100 |
923 |
|
|
860 |
1,447 MA |
|
2014 |
|
|
|
690 |
|
|
|
2016 |
8,765 |
2,800 MA |
855 |
|
|
670 |
1Baghdad was founded in 762 AD as the �City of Peace�, by Abbasid Caliph al Mansur.� The city became capital of Iraq upon independence in 1932
2Basra was once a major trading city of 150,000 inhabitants, but had become little more than a village by 1850. However the establishment of the English Tigris and Euphrates Steamship Company here resulted in rapid population growth in the late 1800s.
3Karbala is a holy city to Shi�ite Muslims; where Hussein was killed in 680 AD.
4Mosul is famous for its textiles industries; the word �Muslin� is derived from Mosul.�
Wealth; Gross Domestic Product (nominal values),
|
|
GDP, US$ million |
Total GDP, % of USA |
GDP per capita, US$ |
GDP per capita % of USA |
|
1960 |
1,684 |
0.31 |
231 |
7.68 |
|
1965 |
2,400 |
0.32 |
295 |
7.71 |
|
1970 |
3,280 |
0.32 |
330 |
6.29 |
|
1975 |
13,460 |
0.82 |
1,151 |
14.72 |
|
1980 |
53,400 |
1.91 |
3,910 |
31.04 |
|
1985 |
48,280 |
1.15 |
3,100 |
16.97 |
|
1990 |
180,000 |
3.10 |
10,300 |
43.00 |
|
1995 |
73,000 |
0.99 |
4,110 |
13.67 |
|
2000 |
73,848 |
0.74 |
4,100 |
11.25 |
|
2005 |
49,950 |
0.38 |
1,850 |
4.18 |
|
2010 |
138,500 |
0.93 |
4,500 |
9.30 |
|
2015 |
179,650 |
1.00 |
4,975 |
8.85 |
|
2016 |
171,500 |
0.92 |
4,600 |
8.00 |
GDP by primary sector
|
|
Agriculture % GDP |
Agriculture % employed |
Industry (Mftg) % GDP |
Industry (Mftg) % employed |
Oil % GDP |
Services % GDP |
Services % employed |
|
1960 |
|
53.0 |
|
18.0 |
|
|
29.0 |
|
1970 |
|
47.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1980 |
10.8 |
42.0 |
7.3 |
26.0 |
|
|
32.0 |
|
1990 |
11.8 |
30.4 |
|
|
|
32.0 |
48.0 |
|
2001 |
7.8 |
|
1.6 |
|
76.1 |
|
|
|
2010 |
9.7 |
21.6 |
|
18.7 |
|
27.3 |
59.8 |
|
2016 |
5.1 |
|
37.3 |
|
|
57.7 |
|
Communications
Language Official; Arabic.� Armenian, Assyrian, and Turkish also spoken.
|
|
Arabic |
Kurdish |
|
1947 |
60.0 |
27.0 |
|
1950 |
67.0 |
25.0 |
|
1960 |
77.0 |
15.0 |
|
1980 |
81.0 |
15.0 |
|
2000 |
80.0 |
19.0 |
Literacy
11.0% (1947)
18.0% (1960)
24.0% (1965)
40.0% (1975)
50.0% (1980); 68.0% (M), 32.0% (F)
58.0% (1995); 70.7% (M), 45.0% (F)
56.0% (2000); 68.0% (M), 43.0% (F)
74.1% (2010); 84.1% (M), 64.2% (F)
79.7% (2015); 85.7% (M), 73.7% (F)
Physical communications � roads
|
|
Roads (km) |
Surfaced (km) |
Motor vehicles |
Cars |
Commercial Vehicles |
|
1945 |
8,000 |
2000 |
|
3,771 |
2,017 |
|
1950 |
|
|
|
8,789 |
10,292 |
|
1955 |
|
|
33,000 |
20,600 |
|
|
1958 |
|
|
|
23,012 |
12,213 |
|
1961 |
|
|
|
|
22,400 |
|
1965 |
|
|
85,000 |
36,000 |
25,000 |
|
1975 |
|
|
203,800 |
125,000 |
70,000 |
|
1977 |
|
|
|
150,400 |
74,500 |
|
1980 |
20,791 |
6,490 |
|
|
|
|
1983 |
|
|
|
229,530 |
152,768 |
|
1986 |
44,490 |
|
908,200 |
492,000 |
246,000 |
|
2002 |
44,900 |
37,850 |
|
637,500 |
375,000 |
|
2012 |
59,623 |
59,623 |
3,080,000 |
1,400,000 |
|
Railways; First railway opened 1920. A� railway from Mosul to Baghdad was completed in 1940.
Length, kilometres
1,208 (1920)
1,213 (1930)
1,571 (1940)
1,660 (1950)
2,019 (1960)
1,915 (1967)
1,990 (1975)
2,032 (1990)
2,032 (2005)
2,272 (2014)
Electronic communications, Under Saddam Hussein�s regime
(1979-2003), mobile phones were
illegal.� TV broadcasting began 1956.
|
|
Telephones (landlines) |
Mobile Telephones |
Radios |
Televisions |
PCs |
Internet Users |
|
1938 |
5,905 |
|
20,000 |
|
|
|
|
1942 |
8,129 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1946 |
11,939 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1950 |
|
|
30,000 |
|
|
|
|
1951 |
17,630 |
|
60,000 |
|
|
|
|
1957 |
41,725 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1959 |
44,310 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1960 |
|
|
150,000 |
35,000 |
|
|
|
1962 |
54,434 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1969 |
113,388 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1975 |
|
|
1,252,000 |
|
|
|
|
1976 |
|
|
|
425,000 |
|
|
|
1980 |
250,000 |
|
2,400,000 |
|
|
|
|
1982 |
|
|
|
750,000 |
|
|
|
1990 |
712,000 |
|
3,880,000 |
1,300,000 |
|
|
|
1995 |
|
|
4,500,000 |
1,600,000 |
|
|
|
2000 |
675,000 |
|
5,030,000 |
1,880,000 |
|
12,500 |
|
2002 |
|
20,000 |
|
|
200,000 |
25,000 |
|
2004 |
|
574,000 |
|
|
|
36,000 |
|
2009 |
1,108,000 |
19,722,000 |
|
|
|
325,000 |
|
2010 |
1,350,000 |
24,000,000 |
|
|
|
900,000 |
|
2016 |
2,031,000 |
30,203,000 |
|
|
|
8,100,000 |
Tourism: Visitors to Iraq,
544,800 (1974)
600,000 (1977)
1,212,800 (1980)
748,000 (1990)
61,000 (1995)
78,000 (2000)
126,654 (2005)
1,518,000 (2010)