Demographics of Iraq
| Demographics of Iraq | |
|---|---|
Population pyramid of Iraq in 2020 | |
| Population | 46,118,793 (2024) |
| Growth rate | 2% (2022 est.) |
| Birth rate | 34.23 births/1,000 population (2023 est.) |
| Death rate | 3.9 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 73.18 years |
| • male | 71.3 years |
| • female | 75.15 years |
| Fertility rate | 3.22 children born/woman (2024) |
| Infant mortality rate | 19.62 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Net migration rate | -0.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.) |
| Age structure | |
| 0–14 years | 35.90% (2024) |
| 15–64 years | 60.44% (2024) |
| 65 and over | 3.66% (2024) |
| Sex ratio | |
| Total | 1.01 male(s)/female (2022 est.) |
| At birth | 1.05 male(s)/female |
| Under 15 | 1.04 male(s)/female |
| 65 and over | 0.65 male(s)/female |
| Nationality | |
| Nationality | Iraqi |
| Major ethnic | Arabs |
| Minor ethnic |
|
| Language | |
| Official | Arabic and Kurdish |
| Spoken | Languages 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 most spoken languages are Mesopotamian Arabic, Kurdish, Assyrian Syriac and Iraqi Turkmen dialects. The percentages of the different ethno-religious groups of Iraq vary from source to source due to the lack of recent official data.
After several postponements, the latest 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, announced on 24 February 2025, showed that the Iraqi population had risen to 46,118,793, with 101 Male for every 100 Female. Named the ‘General Population and Housing Census’, it did not include a questionnaire on ethnicity, and was specifically designed to provide official data for developmental and welfare purposes.