Demographics of Iraq

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Iraq, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

The 2009 IMF population estimate of Iraq is 31,234,000.[1]

Contents

Background

Iraq is the region known outside the Islamic world as Mesopotamia, the population estimate in 1920 was 3 million. The ruins of Ur, Babylon, and other ancient cities are situated in Iraq, as is the legendary location of the Garden of Eden. Almost 75% of Iraq's population lives in the flat, alluvial plain stretching southeast from Tikrit to the Persian Gulf. The Tigris and the Euphrates carry about 70 million cubic meters of silt annually from this plain down to the delta. The water from these two great rivers, and the fertility of the soil in the alluvial plain and the delta, allowed early agriculture to sustain a stable population as far back as the 7th millennium BC.

Population

31,234,000.[1] (April 2009 IMF est.)

Vital statistics

UN estimates [2]

Period Live births per year Deaths per year Natural change per year CBR1 CDR1 NC1 TFR1 IMR1
1950-1955 327 000 158 000 169 000 53.2 25.8 27.5 7.30 197.6
1955-1960 297 000 133 000 164 000 42.6 19.1 23.5 6.20 152.9
1960-1965 343 000 122 000 221 000 43.3 15.4 27.9 6.60 120.7
1965-1970 430 000 121 000 309 000 46.5 13.1 33.4 7.40 96.0
1970-1975 475 000 121 000 354 000 43.6 11.1 32.5 7.15 76.4
1975-1980 526 000 124 000 402 000 41.2 9.8 31.5 6.80 60.4
1980-1985 571 000 185 000 387 000 39.1 12.6 26.5 6.35 48.9
1985-1990 638 000 132 000 505 000 38.8 8.0 30.8 6.15 41.8
1990-1995 719 000 105 000 614 000 38.2 5.6 32.6 5.80 43.4
1995-2000 836 000 119 000 717 000 37.9 5.4 32.5 5.40 38.1
2000-2005 960 000 144 000 816 000 37.5 5.6 31.9 5.12 35.9
2005-2010 1 079 000 187 000 892 000 36.6 6.3 30.2 4.86 34.6
1 CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births

Ethnic groups

Iraqi Arabs 75%-80%, Kurds 15%-20%,Turkmen 5%, Assyrians 2% .

Languages

Arabic (official), Kurdish (official), Neo-Aramaic, Turkmen, Persian

Religions

Islam 95% (Shi'a 60%, Sunni 35%), Christianity and others 5%.

Demographic statistics

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.

Age structure

0-14 years: 39.7% (male 5,398,645; female 5,231,760)
15-64 years: 57.3% (male 7,776,257; female 7,576,726)
65 years and over: 3% (male 376,700; female 423,295) (2006 est.)

Population growth rate

2.66% (2007 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 69.01 years
male: 67.76 years
female: 70.31 years (2006 est.)

Nationality

noun: Iraqi(s)
adjective: Iraqi

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 74.1%
male: 84.1%
female: 64.2% (2000 est.)

Median Age

Total Population: 19.7 years
Male: 19.6 years
Female: 19.8 years (2006 est.)

See also

References

External links