Map of Iraq | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq was occupied by the United Kingdom during World War I and was declared a League of Nations mandate under UK administration in 1920. Iraq attained its independence as a kingdom in 1932. It was proclaimed a 'republic' in 1958 after a coup overthrew the monarchy, but in actuality, a series of strongmen ruled the country until 2003. The last was SADDAM Husayn from 1979 to 2003. Territorial disputes with Iran led to an inconclusive and costly eight-year war (1980-88). In August 1990, Iraq seized Kuwait but was expelled by US-led UN coalition forces during the Gulf War of January-February 1991. After Iraq's expulsion, the UN Security Council (UNSC) required Iraq to scrap all weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles and to allow UN verification inspections. Continued Iraqi noncompliance with UNSC resolutions led to the Second Gulf War in March 2003 and the ouster of the SADDAM Husayn regime by US-led forces.


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Location: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait

Geographic coordinates: 33 00 N, 44 00 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 438,317 km²
Land: 437,367 km²
Water: 950 km²
Rank: 60
Comparative: slightly more than three times the size of New York state

Land boundaries
Total: 3,809 km
Border countries: (6) Iran 1599 km; , Jordan 179 km; , Kuwait 254 km; , Saudi Arabia 811 km; , Syria 599 km; , Turkey 367 km

Coastline: 58 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq

Terrain: mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey

Elevation
Mean elevation: 312 m
Lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
Highest point: Cheekha Dar (Kurdish for Black Tent) 3,611 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur

Land use
Agricultural land: 18.1% (2011 est.)
Forest: 1.9% (2011 est.)
Other: 80% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 35,250 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: dust storms; sandstorms; floods

Geography
Note: strategic location on Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of the Persian Gulf


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Population
Distribution: population is concentrated in the north, center, and eastern parts of the country, with many of the larger urban agglomerations found along extensive parts of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; much of the western and southern areas are either lightly populated or uninhabited: 40,194,216 (July 2018 est.)
Rank: 36
Growth rate: 2.5% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 22
Below poverty line: 23% (2014 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Iraqi(s)
Adjective: Iraqi

Ethnic groups:

Languages: Arabic (official), Kurdish (official), Turkmen (a Turkish dialect), Syriac (Neo-Aramaic), and Armenian are official in areas where native speakers of these languages constitute a majority of the population

Religions:

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 39.01% (male 8,005,327 /female 7,674,802)
15-24 years: 19.42% (male 3,976,085 /female 3,829,086)
25-54 years: 33.97% (male 6,900,984 /female 6,752,797)
55-64 years: 4.05% (male 788,602 /female 839,291)
65 years and over: 3.55% (male 632,753 /female 794,489) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 77.7 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 72.3 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.5 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 18.3 (2015 est.)

Median age
Total: 20.2 years (2018 est.)
Male: 20 years
Female: 20.5 years
Rank: 189

Population growth rate: 2.5% (2018 est.)
Rank: 22

Birth rate: 30 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 37

Death rate: 3.8 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 212

Net migration rate: -1.1 migrant(s)/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 144

Population distribution: population is concentrated in the north, center, and eastern parts of the country, with many of the larger urban agglomerations found along extensive parts of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; much of the western and southern areas are either lightly populated or uninhabited

Urbanization
Urban population: 70.7% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 3.06% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 6.974 million BAGHDAD (capital), 1.578 million Mosul, 1.325 million Basra, 996,000 Kirkuk, 833,000 Erbil, 847,000 Najaf (2019)

Environment
Current issues: government water control projects drained most of the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting the feeder streams and rivers; a once sizable population of Marsh Arabs, who inhabited these areas for thousands of years, has been displaced; furthermore, the destruction of the natural habitat poses serious threats to the area's wildlife populations; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil degradation (salination) and erosion; desertification; military and industrial infrastructure has released heavy metals and other hazardous substances into the air, soil, and groundwater; major sources of environmental damage are effluents from oil refineries, factory and sewage discharges into rivers, fertilizer and chemical contamination of the soil, and industrial air pollution in urban areas
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 37.5 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 40.6 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 34.2 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 47

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 74.9 years (2018 est.)
Male: 72.6 years
Female: 77.2 years
Rank: 117

Total fertility rate: 3.94 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 36

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 52.8% (2018)

Drinking water source
Urban: 6.2% of population
Rural: 29.9% of population
Total: 13.4% of population (2015 est.)

Current health expenditure: 3.3% (2016)

Physicians density: 0.82 physicians/1000 population (2017)

Hospital bed density: 1.4 beds/1000 population (2014)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 13.6% of population (2015 est.)
Rural: 16.2% of population (2015 est.)
Total: 14.4% of population (2015 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate note: NA
People living with hivaids note: NA
Deaths note: NA

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: intermediate (2016)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever (2016)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 30.4% (2016)
Rank: 23

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 7.2% (2011)
Rank: 72

Education expenditures
Note: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 79.7%
Male: 85.7%
Female: 73.7% (2015)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Republic of Iraq
Conventional short form: Iraq
Local long form: Jumhuriyat al-Iraq/Komar-i Eraq
Local short form: Al Iraq/Eraq
Former: Mesopotamia, Mandatory Iraq, Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq
Etymology: the name probably derives from Uruk (Biblical Erech), the ancient Sumerian and Babylonian city on the Euphrates River

Government type: federal parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Baghdad
Geographic coordinates: 33 20 N, 44 24 E
Time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time): although the origin of the name is disputed, it likely has compound Persian roots with 'bagh' and 'dad' meaning 'god' and 'given' respectively to create the meaning of 'bestowed by God'

Administrative divisions: 18 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah (Arabic); parezgakan, singular - parezga (Kurdish)) and 1 region*; Al Anbar; Al Basrah; Al Muthanna; Al Qadisiyah (Ad Diwaniyah); An Najaf; Arbil (Erbil) (Arabic), Hewler (Kurdish); As Sulaymaniyah (Arabic), Slemani (Kurdish); Babil; Baghdad; Dahuk (Arabic), Dihok (Kurdish); Dhi Qar; Diyala; Karbala'; Kirkuk; Kurdistan Regional Government*; Maysan; Ninawa; Salah ad Din; Wasit

Dependent areas

Independence: 3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration); note - on 28 June 2004 the Coalition Provisional Authority transferred sovereignty to the Iraqi Interim Government

National holiday: Independence Day, 3 October (1932); Republic Day, 14 July (1958)

Constitution
History: several previous; latest adopted by referendum 15 October 2005
Amendments: proposed by the president of the republic and the Council of Minsters collectively, or by one fifth of the Council of Representatives members; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Council of Representatives, approval by referendum, and ratification by the president; passage of amendments to articles on citizen rights and liberties requires two-thirds majority vote of Council of Representatives members after two successive electoral terms, approval in a referendum, and ratification by the president (2016)

Legal system: mixed legal system of civil and Islamic law

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Iraq
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Barham SALIH (since 2 October 2018); vice presidents (vacant)
Head of government: Prime Minister Adil ABD AL-MAHDI (since 24 October 2018); resigned on 1 December 2019
Cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, approved by Council of Representatives
Electionsappointments: president indirectly elected by Council of Representatives (COR) to serve a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); COR election last held on 12 May 2018 (next to be held in 2022); prime minister nominated by the largest COR bloc or by consensus and submission of COR minister nominees for majority COR approval; disapproval requires designation of a new prime minister candidate
Election results: 

COR vote in first round - Barham SALIH (PUK) 165, Fuad HUSAYN (KDP) 90; Barham SALIH elected president in second round - Barham SALIH 219, Fuad HUSAYN 22; note - the COR vote on 1 October 2018 failed due to a lack of quorum, and a new session was held on 2 October

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Council of Representatives or Majlis an-Nuwwab al-Iraqiyy (329 seats; 320 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by open-list proportional representation vote and 9 seats at the national level reserved for minorities - 5 for Christians, 1 each for Sabaean-Mandaeans, Yazidis, Shabaks, Fayli Kurds; 25% of seats allocated to women; members serve 4-year terms); note - Iraqs constitution calls for the establishment of an upper house, the Federation Council, but it has not been instituted
Elections: last held on 12 May 2018 (next to be held in 2022)
Election results: percent of vote by party/coalition - NA; seats by party/coalition - Al Sairun Alliance 54, Al Fatah Alliance 48, Al Nasir Alliance 42, KDP 25, State of Law Coalition 25, Wataniyah 21, National Wisdom Trend 19, PUK 18, Iraqi Decision Alliance 14, Anbar Our Identity 6, Goran Movement 5, New Generation 4, other 48; composition - men 245, women 84, percent of women 25.5%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Federal Supreme Court or FSC (consists of 9 judges); note - court jurisdiction limited to constitutional issues and disputes between regions or governorates and the central government; Court of Cassation (consists of a court president, 5 vice presidents, and at least 24 judges)
Judge selection and term of office: Federal Supreme Court and Court of Cassation judges selected by the president of the republic from nominees selected by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), a 25-member committee of judicial officials that manages the judiciary and prosecutors; FSC members appointed for life; Court of Cassation judges appointed by the SJC and confirmed by the Council of Representatives to serve until retirement nominally at age 63
Subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal (governorate level); civil courts, including first instance, personal status, labor, and customs; criminal courts including felony, misdemeanor, investigative, major crimes, juvenile, and traffic; religious courts

Political parties and leaders: Al Fatah Alliance [Hadi al-AMIRI]Al Nasr Alliance [Haydar al-ABADI]Al Sadiqun Bloc [Adnan al-DULAYMI]Al Sa'irun Alliance [Muqtda al-SADR]Badr Organization [Hadi al-AMIRI]Da`wa Party [Nuri al-MALIKI]Fadilah Party [Muhammad al-YAQUBI]Goran Movement [Omar SAYYID ALI]Iraqi Communist Party [Hamid Majid MUSA]Iraq Decision Alliance [Khamis al-KHANJAR, Usama al-NUJAYFI]Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq or ISCI [Humam HAMMUDI]Kurdistan Democratic Party or KDP [Masoud BARZANI]National Wisdom Trend [Ammar al-HAKIM]New Generation Movement [SHASWAR Abd al-Wahid Qadir]Our Identity [Muhammad al-HALBUSI]Patriotic Union of Kurdistan or PUK [KOSRAT Rasul Ali, acting]State of Law Coalition [Nuri al MALIKIWataniyah coalition [Ayad ALLAWI]numerous smaller religious, local, tribal, and minority parties

International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, CICA, EITI (compliant country), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation
In the us chancery: 3,421 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20,007
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 742-1600
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 333-1129
In the us consulate: Detroit, Los Angeles
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Matthew TUELLER (since 9 June 2019)
From the us telephone: 0760-030-3,000
From the us embassy: Al-Kindi Street, International Zone, Baghdad; note - consulate in Al Basrah closed as of 28 September 2018
From the us mailing address: APO AE 9,316
From the us FAX: NA

Flag description:

National symbols: golden eagle; national colors: red, white, black

National anthem
Name: Mawtini (My Homeland)
Lyricsmusic: Ibrahim TOUQAN/Mohammad FLAYFEL: note: adopted 2004; following the ouster of SADDAM Husayn, Iraq adopted 'Mawtini,' a popular folk song throughout the Arab world; also serves as an unofficial anthem of the Palestinian people

National heritage


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Economy overview: Iraq's GDP growth slowed to 1.1% in 2017, a marked decline compared to the previous two years as domestic consumption and investment fell because of civil violence and a sluggish oil market. The Iraqi Government received its third tranche of funding from its 2016 Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) with the IMF in August 2017, which is intended to stabilize its finances by encouraging improved fiscal management, needed economic reform, and expenditure reduction. Additionally, in late 2017 Iraq received more than $1.4 billion in financing from international lenders, part of which was generated by issuing a $1 billion bond for reconstruction and rehabilitation in areas liberated from ISIL. Investment and key sector diversification are crucial components to Iraq’s long-term economic development and require a strengthened business climate with enhanced legal and regulatory oversight to bolster private-sector engagement. The overall standard of living depends on global oil prices, the central government passage of major policy reforms, a stable security environment post-ISIS, and the resolution of civil discord with the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG).Iraq's largely state-run economy is dominated by the oil sector, which provides roughly 85% of government revenue and 80% of foreign exchange earnings, and is a major determinant of the economy's fortunes. Iraq's contracts with major oil companies have the potential to further expand oil exports and revenues, but Iraq will need to make significant upgrades to its oil processing, pipeline, and export infrastructure to enable these deals to reach their economic potential.In 2017, Iraqi oil exports from northern fields were disrupted following a KRG referendum that resulted in the Iraqi Government reasserting federal control over disputed oil fields and energy infrastructure in Kirkuk. The Iraqi government and the KRG dispute the role of federal and regional authorities in the development and export of natural resources. In 2007, the KRG passed an oil law to develop IKR oil and gas reserves independent of the federal government. The KRG has signed about 50 contracts with foreign energy companies to develop its reserves, some of which lie in territories taken by Baghdad in October 2017. The KRG is able to unilaterally export oil from the fields it retains control of through its own pipeline to Turkey, which Baghdad claims is illegal. In the absence of a national hydrocarbons law, the two sides have entered into five provisional oil- and revenue-sharing deals since 2009, all of which collapsed.Iraq is making slow progress enacting laws and developing the institutions needed to implement economic policy, and political reforms are still needed to assuage investors' concerns regarding the uncertain business climate. The Government of Iraq is eager to attract additional foreign direct investment, but it faces a number of obstacles, including a tenuous political system and concerns about security and societal stability. Rampant corruption, outdated infrastructure, insufficient essential services, skilled labor shortages, and antiquated commercial laws stifle investment and continue to constrain growth of private, nonoil sectors. Under the Iraqi constitution, some competencies relevant to the overall investment climate are either shared by the federal government and the regions or are devolved entirely to local governments. Investment in the IKR operates within the framework of the Kurdistan Region Investment Law (Law 4 of 2006) and the Kurdistan Board of Investment, which is designed to provide incentives to help economic development in areas under the authority of the KRG.Inflation has remained under control since 2006. However, Iraqi leaders remain hard-pressed to translate macroeconomic gains into an improved standard of living for the Iraqi populace. Unemployment remains a problem throughout the country despite a bloated public sector. Overregulation has made it difficult for Iraqi citizens and foreign investors to start new businesses. Corruption and lack of economic reforms - such as restructuring banks and developing the private sector - have inhibited the growth of the private sector.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 34

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 206

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 107

Gross national saving:
Rank: 103

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 50.4% (2013 est.)
Government consumption: 22.9% (2016 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 20.6% (2016 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0% (2016 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 32.5% (2016 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -40.9% (2016 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 3.3% (2017 est.)
Industry: 51% (2017 est.)
Services: 45.8% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, cotton; cattle, sheep, poultry

Industries: petroleum, chemicals, textiles, leather, construction materials, food processing, fertilizer, metal fabrication/processing

Industrial production growth rate: 0.7% (2017 est.)
Rank: 163

Labor force: 8.9 million (2010 est.)
Rank: 57
By occupation agriculture: 21.6%
By occupation industry: 18.7%
By occupation services: 59.8% (2008 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 175

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 23% (2014 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 3.6%
Highest 10: 25.7% (2007 est.)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: 68.71 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 76.82 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -4.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 160

Taxes and other revenues: 35.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 59

Public debt:
Rank: 74

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 14

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 70

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 65

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 50

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 50

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 76

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 89

Current account balance:
Rank: 31

Exports:
Rank: 46
Partners: India 21.2%, China 20.2%, US 15.8%, South Korea 9.4%, Greece 5.3%, Netherlands 4.8%, Italy 4.7% (2017)
Commodities: crude oil 99%, crude materials excluding fuels, food, live animals

Imports:
Rank: 61
Commodities: food, medicine, manufactures
Partners: Turkey 27.8%, China 25.7%, South Korea 4.7%, Russia 4.3% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 41

Debt external:
Rank: 59

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 74

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 82

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2016)
Production: 75.45 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 40
Consumption: 38.46 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 57
Exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 150
Imports: 11.97 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 20
Installed generating capacity: 27.09 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 34
Generation sources fossil fuels: 91% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 55
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 111
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 9% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 119
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 194

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 4.613 million bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 4
Crude oil exports: 3.092 million bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 3
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 145
Crude oil proven reserves: 148.8 billion bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 5

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 398,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 37
Products consumption: 826,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 26
Products exports: 8,284 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 86
Products imports: 255,100 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 28

Natural gas
Production: 1.274 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 63
Consumption: 2.633 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 76
Exports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 124
Imports: 1.359 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 56
Proven reserves: 3.82 trillion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 11

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 117.9 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 37

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 2,918,396
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 7 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 48
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 33,335,316
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 85 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 40

Telephone system
General assessment: the 2003 liberation of Iraq severely disrupted telecommunications throughout Iraq; widespread government efforts to rebuild domestic and international communications have slowed due to political unrest; 2018 showed signs of stability and installations of new fibre-optic cables and growth in mobile broadband subscribers; the most popular plans are pre-paid (2018)
Domestic: the mobile cellular market continues to expand; 3G services offered by three major mobile operators; 4G offered by one operator in Iraqi Kurdistan Region; conflict has destroyed infrastructure in areas; 7 per 100 for fixed-line and 85 per 100 for mobile-cellular subscriptions (2018)
International: country code - 964; landing points for FALCON, and GBICS/MENA submarine cables providing connections to the Middle East, Africa and India; satellite earth stations - 4 (2 Intelsat - 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean, 1 Intersputnik - Atlantic Ocean region, and 1 Arabsat (inoperative)); local microwave radio relay connects border regions to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey (2019)

Broadcast media: the number of private radio and TV stations has increased rapidly since 2003; government-owned TV and radio stations are operated by the publicly funded Iraqi Media Network; private broadcast media are mostly linked to political, ethnic, or religious groups; satellite TV is available to an estimated 70% of viewers and many of the broadcasters are based abroad; transmissions of multiple international radio broadcasters are accessible (2019)

Internet
Country code: .iq
Users total: 8,098,401
Users percent of population: 21.2% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 53

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 29

Military and security forces: Ministry of Defense: Iraqi Army (includes Army Aviation Command), Iraqi Navy, Iraqi Air Force; National-Level Security Forces: Iraqi Counterterrorism Service, Prime Minister's Special Forces Division, Presidential Brigades; Ministry of Interior: Federal Police Forces Command, Border Guard Forces Command, Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency, Emergency Response Division, Facilities Protection Directorate, and Energy Police Directorate; Popular Mobilization Commission and Affiliated Forces; Peshmerga Ministry (Kurdistan Regional Government) (2019)

Military service age and obligation: 18-40 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2017)

Space program

Terrorist groups
Home based Ansar alIslam:
Home based Jaysh Rijal alTariq alNaqshabandi:
Home based Kataib Hizballah:
Home based Kurdistan Workers Party:
Foreign based Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force:
Foreign based Islamic State of Iraq and ashSham: aim(s): replace the world order with a global Islamic state based in Iraq and Syria; expand its branches and networks in other countries; rule according to ISISs strict interpretation of Islamic lawarea(s) of operation: operational in the rural and desert areas of central and northern Iraq, primarily within and near Sunni populations, with some presence in major population areas (2018)


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 4 (2015)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 39 (2015)
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 484,803 (2015)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 10,758,230
Note: mt-km (2015)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: YI (2016)

Airports: 102 (2013)
Rank: 55
With paved runways total: 72 (2017)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 20 (2017)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 34 (2017)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 4 (2017)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 7 (2017)
With paved runways under 914 m: 7 (2017)
With unpaved runways total: 30 (2013)
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 3 (2013)
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 5 (2013)
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 3 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 13 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 6 (2013)

Heliports: 16 (2013)

Pipelines: 2,455 km gas, 913 km liquid petroleum gas, 5,432 km oil, 1637 km refined products (2013)

Railways
Total: 2,272 km (2014)
Standard gauge: 2,272 km
Note: 1.435-m gauge (2014)
Rank: 69

Roadways
Total: 59,623 km (2012)
Paved: 59,623 km
Note: (includes Kurdistan region) (2012)
Rank: 76

Waterways: 5,279 km
Note: (the Euphrates River (2,815 km) Tigris River (1899 km) and Third River (565 km) are the principal waterways) (2012)
Rank: 22

Merchant marine
Total: 80
By type: general cargo 1, oil tanker 6, other 73 (2018)
Rank: 98

Ports and terminals
River port: Al Basrah (Shatt al Arab); Khawr az Zubayr, Umm Qasr (Khawr az Zubayr waterway)


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Disputes international: Iraq's lack of a maritime boundary with Iran prompts jurisdiction disputes beyond the mouth of the Shatt al Arab in the Persian Gulf; Turkey has expressed concern over the autonomous status of Kurds in Iraq

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 15,405 (Turkey), 7,944 (West Bank and Gaza Strip), 7,026 (Iran) (2018); 244,539 (Syria) (2019)
IDPs: 2,507,042 (includes displacement between 2006 and 2008 due to ethno-sectarian violence and displacement in central and northern Iraq since January 2014) (2019)
Stateless persons: 47,515 (2018); note - in the 1970s and 1980s under SADDAM Husayns regime, thousands of Iraqs Faili Kurds, followers of Shia Islam, were stripped of their Iraqi citizenship, had their property seized by the government, and many were deported; some Faili Kurds had their citizenship reinstated under the 2,006 Iraqi Nationality Law, but others lack the documentation to prove their Iraqi origins; some Palestinian refugees persecuted by the SADDAM regime remain stateless: note: estimate revised to reflect the reduction of statelessness in line with Law 26 of 2006, which allows stateless persons to apply for nationality in certain circumstances; more accurate studies of statelessness in Iraq are pending (2015)

Illicit drugs