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.

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)

Natural hazards: dust storms; sandstorms; floods

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

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: 38,872,655 (July 2020 est.)
Rank: 36
Growth rate: 2.16% (2020 est.)
Growth rate rank: 36
Below poverty line: 23% (2014 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Iraqi(s)
Adjective: Iraqi

Ethnic groups: Arab 75-80%, Kurdish 15-20%, other 5% (includes Turkmen, Yezidi, Shabak, Kaka'i, Bedouin, Romani, Assyrian, Circassian, Sabaean-Mandaean, Persian)
Note: data is a 1987 government estimate; no more recent reliable numbers are available

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: Muslim (official) 95-98% (Shia 64-69%, Sunni 29-34%), Christian 1% (includes Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Assyrian Church of the East), other 1-4% (2015 est.)
Note: while there has been voluntary relocation of many Christian families to northern Iraq, the overall Christian population has decreased at least 50% and perhaps as high as 90% since the fall of the SADDAM Husayn regime in 2003, according to US Embassy estimates, with many fleeing to Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon

Age structure
0-14 years: 37.02% (male 7,349,868/female 7,041,405)
15-24 years: 19.83% (male 3,918,433/female 3,788,157)
25-54 years: 35.59% (male 6,919,569/female 6,914,856)
55-64 years: 4.23% (male 805,397/female 839,137)
65 years and over: 3.33% (male 576,593/female 719,240) (2020 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 69.9
Youth dependency ratio: 64.1
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.9
Potential support ratio: 17.1 (2020 est.)

Median age
Total: 21.2 years
Male: 20.8 years
Female: 21.6 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 185

Population growth rate: 2.16% (2020 est.)
Rank: 36

Birth rate: 25.7 births/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 46

Death rate: 3.9 deaths/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 214

Net migration rate: -0.5 migrant(s)/1000 population (2020 est.)
Rank: 126

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: 70.9% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 3.06% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 7.144 million BAGHDAD (capital), 1.630 million Mosul, 1.352 million Basra, 1.013 million Kirkuk, 874,000 Najaf, 846,000 Erbil (2020)

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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 19.5 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 20.9 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 18.2 deaths/1000 live births (2020 est.)
Rank: 79

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 72.6 years
Male: 70.7 years
Female: 74.6 years (2020 est.)
Rank: 152

Total fertility rate: 3.39 children born/woman (2020 est.)
Rank: 43

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 52.8% (2018)

Drinking water source
Urban: 1.2% of population
Rural: 5% of population
Total: 2.1% of population (2017 est.)

Current health expenditure: 4.2% (2017)

Physicians density: 0.84 physicians/1000 population (2017)

Hospital bed density: 1.3 beds/1000 population (2017)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 3.3% of population
Rural: 10.3% of population
Total: 4.8% of population (2017 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate note: NA
People living with hivaids note: NA
Deaths note: NA

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: intermediate (2020)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Note: widespread ongoing transmission of a respiratory illness caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is occurring throughout Iraq; as of 8 December 2020, Iraq has reported a total of 562,520 cases of COVID-19 or 13,985 cumulative cases of COVID-19 per 1 million population with 309 cumulative deaths per 1 million population

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

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 3.9% (2018)
Rank: 91

Education expenditures
Note: NA

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 50.1%
Male: 56.2%
Female: 44% (2018)

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

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

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 Mustafa al-KADHIMI (since 7 May 2020)
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 NA)
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 83 multi-seat constituencies by simple majority 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 - in early November 2020, the president ratified a new electoral law - approved by the Council of Representatives in late October - that eliminates the proportional representation electoral system
Elections: last held on 12 May 2018 (next originally scheduled for May 2022, but rescheduled earlier to 6 June 2021)
Election results: percent of vote by party/coalition - NA; seats by party/coalition - Sairun Alliance 54, Al Fatah Alliance 48, Al Nasr 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 Higher Judicial Council (HJC), 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 HJC 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 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 chief of mission: Ambassador Farid YASIN (since 18 January 2017)
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: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; the Takbir (Arabic expression meaning 'God is great') in green Arabic script is centered in the white band; the band colors derive from the Arab Liberation flag and represent oppression (black), overcome through bloody struggle (red), to be replaced by a bright future (white); the Council of Representatives approved this flag in 2008 as a compromise replacement for the Ba'thist SADDAM-era flag
Note: similar to the flag of Syria, which has two stars but no script; Yemen, which has a plain white band; and that of Egypt, which has a golden Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band

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

Real gdp purchasing power parity
Real:
Real note: data are in 2010 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 206

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2010 dollars
Rank: 154

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: 54
By occupation agriculture: 21.6%
By occupation industry: 18.7%
By occupation services: 59.8% (2008 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 179

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

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

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

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 17

Current account balance:
Rank: 31

Exports:
Rank: 58
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: 67
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

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2020)
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: 54
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

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

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

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 2,678,046
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 7.04 (2019 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 46
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 36,092,758
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 94.88 (2019 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 42

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: 18,364,390
Users percent of population: 49.36% (July 2018 est.)
Users rank: 38

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 4,492,328
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 12 (2018 est.)
Rank: 32

Military expenditures:
Rank: 18

Military and security forces:

Military service age and obligation: 18-40 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2019)

Terrorist groups: Ansar al-Islam; Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps/Qods Force; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham; Jaysh Rijal al-Tariq al-Naqshabandi; Kata'ib Hizballah; Kurdistan Workers' Party (2019)
Note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in a title='Appendix-T' href='../appendix/appendix-t.html'>Appendix-T/a>

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 4 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 34
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 2,075,065 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 16.2 million
Note: mt-km (2018)

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: 77

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: 73
By type: general cargo 1, oil tanker 6, other 66 (2019)
Rank: 101

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

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: 15,167 (Turkey), 7,858 (West Bank and Gaza Strip), 5,041 (Iran) (2018); 241,682 (Syria) (2020)
IDPs: 1,389,540 (displacement in central and northern Iraq since January 2014) (2020)
Stateless persons: 47,253 (2019); 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)