Country Summary
Introduction
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. The invasion of Kuwait in 1990 led to a period of instability as the country strove to install a representative government.
Geography
Area
total: 438,317 sq km
land: 437,367 sq km
water: 950 sq km
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
Natural resources
petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur
People and Society
Population
40,462,701 (2022 est.)
Ethnic groups
Arab 75-80%, Kurdish 15-20%, other 5% (includes Turkmen, Yezidi, Shabak, Kaka'i, Bedouin, Romani, Assyrian, Circassian, Sabaean-Mandaean, Persian)
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 61-64%, Sunni 29-34%), Christian 1% (includes Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Assyrian Church of the East), other 1-4% (2015 est.)
Population growth rate
2% (2022 est.)
Government
Government type
federal parliamentary republic
Capital
name: Baghdad
Executive branch
chief of state: President Abdul Latif RASHID (since 13 October 2022; vice presidents (vacant)
head of government: Prime Minister-Designate Mohammed Shia al-SUDANI (since 13 October 2022)
Legislative branch
description: unicameral Council of Representatives of Iraq (COR) or Majlis an-Nuwwab al-Iraqiyy (329 seats; 320 members directly elected in 83 multi-seat constituencies by single nontransferable vote, 9 seats reserved for minorities - 5 for Christians, 1 each for Sabaean-Mandaeans, Yazidis, Shabaks, Fayli Kurds, and 25% of seats allocated to women; members serve 4-year terms); note - in late 2020, the COR approved an electoral law, replacing the proportional representation voting system with the single non-transferable system
Economy
Economic overview
oil-dependent Middle Eastern economy; COVID-19 disruption and domestic economy fragility post-US presence; poverty increases; currency devaluation leading to inflation; import-dependent for most sectors; evaluating fiscal and monetary restructuring
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$372.27 billion (2020 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$9,300 (2020 est.)
Agricultural products
wheat, barley, dates, tomatoes, rice, maize, grapes, potatoes, rice, watermelons
Industries
petroleum, chemicals, textiles, leather, construction materials, food processing, fertilizer, metal fabrication/processing
Exports
$50.61 billion (2020 est.)
Exports - partners
China 26%, India 24%, South Korea 9%, United States 8%, Italy 6%, Greece 6% (2019)
Exports - commodities
crude petroleum, refined petroleum, gold, dates, petroleum coke (2019)
Imports
$54.72 billion (2020 est.)
Imports - partners
United Arab Emirates 28%, Turkey 21%, China 19% (2019)
Imports - commodities
refined petroleum, broadcasting equipment, cars, jewelry, cigarettes (2019)
Exchange rates
Iraqi dinars (IQD) per US dollar -
Page last updated: Thursday, October 13, 2022
