Geography & population
Read the country through its rivers, plains, marshes and mountains.
Population
47,020,774people
2025 · Iraq
Current World Bank series; revisions may differ from the older guide.
Sources & licences · 1
World Bank, World Development Indicators · Iraq: GDP, population, surface area and macroeconomic indicators
- Coverage
- Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
- Source publication date
- —
- Source read date
- 2026-10-13
- Last content verification
- 2026-10-13T00:53:41.725431+00:00
- Content revision
- —
- Licence
- Unverified
GDP · current US dollars
254,367,293,538USD
2025 · Iraq
Current World Bank series; revisions may differ from the older guide.
Sources & licences · 1
World Bank, World Development Indicators · Iraq: GDP, population, surface area and macroeconomic indicators
- Coverage
- Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
- Source publication date
- —
- Source read date
- 2026-10-13
- Last content verification
- 2026-10-13T00:53:41.725431+00:00
- Content revision
- —
- Licence
- Unverified
GDP per capita · current US dollars
5,409.68USD/person
2025 · Iraq
Current World Bank series; revisions may differ from the older guide.
Sources & licences · 1
World Bank, World Development Indicators · Iraq: GDP, population, surface area and macroeconomic indicators
- Coverage
- Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
- Source publication date
- —
- Source read date
- 2026-10-13
- Last content verification
- 2026-10-13T00:53:41.725431+00:00
- Content revision
- —
- Licence
- Unverified
Real GDP growth
-2.2%
2025 · Iraq
Current World Bank series; revisions may differ from the older guide.
Sources & licences · 1
World Bank, World Development Indicators · Iraq: GDP, population, surface area and macroeconomic indicators
- Coverage
- Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
- Source publication date
- —
- Source read date
- 2026-10-13
- Last content verification
- 2026-10-13T00:53:41.725431+00:00
- Content revision
- —
- Licence
- Unverified
Consumer price inflation
0.3%
2025 · Iraq
Current World Bank series; revisions may differ from the older guide.
Sources & licences · 1
World Bank, World Development Indicators · Iraq: GDP, population, surface area and macroeconomic indicators
- Coverage
- Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
- Source publication date
- —
- Source read date
- 2026-10-13
- Last content verification
- 2026-10-13T00:53:41.725431+00:00
- Content revision
- —
- Licence
- Unverified
Area
438,300km²
2025 edition · Iraq
Approximate national area in the latest guide; total surface and land area differ.
Sources & licences · 1
Ministry of Commerce of China; CAITEC; Embassy of China in Iraq · 对外投资合作国别（地区）指南：伊拉克（2025年版）
- Coverage
- Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
- Source publication date
- —
- Source read date
- 2026-10-13
- Last content verification
- 2026-10-13T01:05:50.400521+00:00
- Content revision
- —
- Licence
- Unverified
A crossroads in West Asia
Iraq lies in West Asia, adjoining Türkiye, Iran, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, with a southern coast on the Gulf. Its position combines land borders, river basins and a maritime outlet. Baghdad occupies the central plain, Basra belongs to the southern river-port landscape, and northern cities sit near the transition to uplands. These spatial relationships explain more than a single point on a map.
Sources & licences · 1
Ministry of Commerce of China; CAITEC; Embassy of China in Iraq · 对外投资合作国别（地区）指南：伊拉克（2025年版）
- Coverage
- Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
- Source publication date
- —
- Source read date
- 2026-10-13
- Last content verification
- 2026-10-13T01:05:50.400521+00:00
- Content revision
- —
- Licence
- Unverified
Contrasting landscapes
The Tigris and Euphrates run broadly southeastward and meet in the south to form the Shatt al-Arab. Alluvial plains, western arid plateaus and deserts, and northeastern mountains create contrasting environments. Rivers shape irrigation, settlement and historic movement as well as scenery. Northern uplands and southern marshes have different vegetation and seasonal patterns; one city cannot stand for the whole country.
Sources & licences · 2
Ministry of Commerce of China; CAITEC; Embassy of China in Iraq · 对外投资合作国别（地区）指南：伊拉克（2025年版）
- Coverage
- Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
- Source publication date
- —
- Source read date
- 2026-10-13
- Last content verification
- 2026-10-13T01:05:50.400521+00:00
- Content revision
- —
- Licence
- Unverified
UNESCO World Heritage Centre · The Ahwar of Southern Iraq
- Coverage
- Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
- Source publication date
- —
- Source read date
- 2026-10-13
- Last content verification
- 2026-10-13T00:41:03.746702+00:00
- Content revision
- —
- Licence
- Unverified
Population and statistical scope
Population records distinguish census counts, annual estimates and administrative boundaries. The guide cites the final results of the 2024 national census, including the Kurdistan Region; the World Bank publishes a separate annual series. Their reference dates and methods differ. City, district, governorate and metropolitan figures are not interchangeable. Population helps frame service demand, but does not by itself establish employment, household income or social composition.
Sources & licences · 3
Ministry of Commerce of China; CAITEC; Embassy of China in Iraq · 对外投资合作国别（地区）指南：伊拉克（2025年版）
- Coverage
- Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
- Source publication date
- —
- Source read date
- 2026-10-13
- Last content verification
- 2026-10-13T01:05:50.400521+00:00
- Content revision
- —
- Licence
- Unverified
World Bank, World Development Indicators · Iraq: GDP, population, surface area and macroeconomic indicators
- Coverage
- Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
- Source publication date
- —
- Source read date
- 2026-10-13
- Last content verification
- 2026-10-13T00:53:41.725431+00:00
- Content revision
- —
- Licence
- Unverified
Kurdistan Region Statistics Office · Population: 2024 census
- Coverage
- Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
- Source publication date
- —
- Source read date
- 2026-10-13
- Last content verification
- 2026-10-13T00:41:10.475337+00:00
- Content revision
- —
- Licence
- Unverified
Administrative and regional boundaries
Governorates, federal regions and cities are different spatial units. The constitution recognises the Kurdistan Region and its institutions; regional statistics require their own scope. A city often shares its name with its governorate, making area and population tables easy to misread. Figures here identify their geography, and surrounding sites are distinguished from urban sites. Ancient settlement boundaries are not modern administrative boundaries.
Sources & licences · 2
Constitute Project; English translation of Iraq’s 2005 Constitution · Constitution of the Republic of Iraq
- Coverage
- Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
- Source publication date
- —
- Source read date
- 2026-10-13
- Last content verification
- 2026-10-13T00:47:17.195143+00:00
- Content revision
- —
- Licence
- Unverified
Ministry of Commerce of China; CAITEC; Embassy of China in Iraq · 对外投资合作国别（地区）指南：伊拉克（2025年版）
- Coverage
- Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
- Source publication date
- —
- Source read date
- 2026-10-13
- Last content verification
- 2026-10-13T01:05:50.400521+00:00
- Content revision
- —
- Licence
- Unverified
Water, marshes and environmental pressures
The southern Ahwar World Heritage property combines wetland ecology with ancient urban remains. Its significance includes biodiversity and long relationships between communities and water. Drought, upstream use, pollution and land-use change require basin-scale and local evidence. A photograph does not measure water availability. Basra canals, the Najaf depression and northern reservoirs belong to different hydrological, economic and cultural settings.
Sources & licences · 2
Ministry of Commerce of China; CAITEC; Embassy of China in Iraq · 对外投资合作国别（地区）指南：伊拉克（2025年版）
- Coverage
- Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
- Source publication date
- —
- Source read date
- 2026-10-13
- Last content verification
- 2026-10-13T01:05:50.400521+00:00
- Content revision
- —
- Licence
- Unverified
UNESCO World Heritage Centre · The Ahwar of Southern Iraq
- Coverage
- Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
- Source publication date
- —
- Source read date
- 2026-10-13
- Last content verification
- 2026-10-13T00:41:03.746702+00:00
- Content revision
- —
- Licence
- Unverified
Reading the map and fact cards
Use the map for spatial relationships, fact cards for explicitly defined measures, and city dossiers for explanations of urban formation. Start with landforms and rivers, then population and administrative levels. Area distinguishes land from total surface; economic measures identify year, currency and current or constant prices. Different years on one page do not form a single same-date snapshot.
Sources & licences · 2
Ministry of Commerce of China; CAITEC; Embassy of China in Iraq · 对外投资合作国别（地区）指南：伊拉克（2025年版）
- Coverage
- Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
- Source publication date
- —
- Source read date
- 2026-10-13
- Last content verification
- 2026-10-13T01:05:50.400521+00:00
- Content revision
- —
- Licence
- Unverified
World Bank, World Development Indicators · Iraq: GDP, population, surface area and macroeconomic indicators
- Coverage
- Cited background only; see dated evidence capture. Current statistics are separate fact records.
- Source publication date
- —
- Source read date
- 2026-10-13
- Last content verification
- 2026-10-13T00:53:41.725431+00:00
- Content revision
- —
- Licence
- Unverified