Iraq Population
Iraq had an estimated population of 47,020,774 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 34th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.57% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +2.10% a year.
Iraq at a glance
How Iraq's population is changing
Iraq's population is growing fast: +2.10% a year, which works out to about +989,089 people per year, or +2,708 a day. Births (25.6 per 1,000) and deaths (4.2 per 1,000) alone would give +2.14% a year; net migration removes about 1,064 people a year (−0.00%). Roughly one in every 175 people on Earth lives in Iraq.
Population of Iraq since 1960
In 1960, Iraq had 7,022,052 people. By 2025 that was 47,020,774 — 6.7× larger. The fastest growth came between 1992 and 2002, when the population rose by 42%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 7,022,052 | — |
| 1970 | 9,735,611 | +38.6% |
| 1980 | 13,591,992 | +39.6% |
| 1990 | 17,581,206 | +29.3% |
| 2000 | 24,424,056 | +38.9% |
| 2010 | 31,045,366 | +27.1% |
| 2020 | 42,116,605 | +35.7% |
| 2025 | 47,020,774 | +11.6% |
Iraq from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Iraq at about 1,000,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 47,020,778 in 2025 (47× 1800) and projects 100,649,053 for 2100 in its medium scenario. That is still 114% growth over the rest of this century.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 1,000,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 1,249,026 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 2,399,016 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 5,653,357 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 24,424,060 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 47,020,778 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 71,928,759 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 91,124,123 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 100,649,053 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Iraq
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 47,020,774. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baghdad | 6,390,735 | UN urban centre | 13.59% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Mosul | 1,665,214 | UN urban centre | 3.54% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Erbil | 1,582,829 | UN urban centre | 3.37% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Basrah | 1,326,564 | GeoNames settlement | 2.82% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Sadr City | 1,211,849 | GeoNames settlement | 2.58% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Kirkuk | 1,153,160 | UN urban centre | 2.45% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 7 | Karbala | 1,022,893 | UN urban centre | 2.18% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 8 | Sulaymaniyah | 907,815 | UN urban centre | 1.93% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 9 | Abū Ghurayb | 900,000 | GeoNames settlement | 1.91% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Nasiriyah | 813,799 | UN urban centre | 1.73% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
How Iraq compares
Iraq has almost the same population as Algeria (47,435,312).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Iraq | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #32 |  Spain | 49,355,143 | +5% | compare → |
| #33 |  Algeria | 47,435,312 | +1% | compare → |
| #35 |  Argentina | 45,851,378 | −2% | compare → |
| #36 |  Afghanistan | 43,844,111 | −7% | compare → |
Compare Iraq with any country →
Same region (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan): Pakistan, Egypt, Iran, Algeria, Afghanistan, Yemen.
Explore around Iraq
Land neighbours (6)
Iran 92,417,681 · 2.0× the population · compare
Türkiye 85,878,556 · 1.8× the population · compare
Saudi Arabia 36,973,555 · 1.3× smaller · compare
Syria 25,620,427 · 1.8× smaller · compare
Jordan 11,520,684 · 4.1× smaller · compare
Kuwait 4,865,298 · 9.7× smaller · compare
Iraq's 6 neighbours together hold 257,276,201 people — 5.5× Iraq's population. The most populous is Iran (92,417,681).
In its region
Iraq is the 5th most populous of the 23 economies in Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, holding 5.7% of the region's 828,025,185 people.
Rankings
Largest countries, fastest-growing, oldest populations, densest — all rankings.
Cities
Baghdad, Mosul, Erbil, Basrah, Sadr City, Kirkuk, Karbala, Sulaymaniyah — all Iraq's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Iraq when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.