Iraq

federal parliamentary republic

name: Baghdad geographic coordinates: 33 20 N, 44 24 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: the origin of the name is unclear; it may mean "gift of God," from the pre-Islamic words bagh (god) and dad (given)

chief of state: President Latif RASHID (since 13 October 2022) head of government: Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-SUDANI (since 27 October 2022) cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, approved by Council of Representatives (COR) election/appointment process: president indirectly elected by COR to serve a 4-year term (eligible for a second term) most recent election date: 13 October 2022 election results: 2022: Latif RASHID elected president in second round; COR vote in first round - Latif RASHID (PUK) 157, Barham SALIH (PUK) 99; COR vote in second round - Latif RASHID 167, Barham SALIH 99; Mohammed Shia' al-SUDANI approved as prime minister 2018: Barham SALIH elected president in second round; COR vote in first round - Barham SALIH (PUK) 165, Fuad HUSAYN (KDP) 90; COR vote in second round - Barham SALIH 219, Fuad HUSAYN 22; Adil ABD AL-MAHDI approved as prime minister

legislature name: Council of Representatives of Iraq legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 329 (all directly elected) electoral system: other systems scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 4 years most recent election date: 11/11/2025 parties elected and seats per party: Reconstruction Development Coalition, The Progress (Taqaddum) Party, State of Law Coalition, Sadiqoun Movement, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Badr Organization, National State Forces Alliance, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), Azm Alliance, National Sovereignty, Ishraqat Kanun, Asas (Iraqi Foundation) Coalition, Tasmeem Alliance, Huquq Movement, National Resolve (Hasm) percentage of women in chamber: 28.9% expected date of next election: November 2029

highest court(s): Federal Supreme Court or FSC (consists of 9 judges); 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 (FSC) judges nominated by the High Judicial Council (HJC) president, the FSC chief justice, the public prosecutor's office chief, and the head of the Judicial Oversight Commission; FSC members required to retire at age 72; Court of Cassation judges appointed by the HJC and confirmed by the Council of Representatives to serve until retirement, nominally at age 63, but can be extended to age 66 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 note: Federal Supreme Court jurisdiction limited to constitutional issues, application of federal laws, ratification of election results for the COR, judicial competency disputes, and disputes between regions or governorates and the central government

history: several previous; latest adopted by referendum 15 October 2005 amendment process: 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

ABEDA, AFESD, AIIB, 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)

2.5% of GDP (2024 est.) 2.5% of GDP (2023 est.) 1.8% of GDP (2022 est.) 3% of GDP (2021 est.) 3.2% of GDP (2020 est.)

Ministry of Defense: Iraqi Army, Iraqi Navy, Iraqi Air Force Office of the Prime Minister: Iraqi Counterterrorism Service (CTS); Popular Mobilization Committee (PMC) Ministry of Interior: Federal Police Forces Command, Border Guard Forces Command, Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency, Emergency Response Division, Facilities Protection Directorate, and Provincial Police; Ministry of Oil: Energy Police Directorate (2025) note 1: the Iraqi military and associated security forces are collectively known as the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF); the Iraqi Counterterrorism Service (CTS) includes the Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) note 2: the Iraqi Government funds the PMF, and it is mandated by law to act under government control but many of the militia units take orders from individual government officials and/or associated political parties; some militias have ties to Iran and some have been designated as terrorist organizations by the US (see Terrorism Reference) note 3: the federal constitution provides the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) the right to maintain its own military and security forces, known as the Kurdish Security Forces (KSF); some forces, such as the Regional Guard Brigades, are unified under the KRG's Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, but the two main Kurdish political parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), also maintain their own military forces, police, emergency response, and internal security/intelligence services

18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2025)

the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) are primarily focused on internal and border security; they are actively conducting counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) terrorist group, particularly in northern and western Iraq; the operations include securing the border with Syria; the Kurdish Security Forces, as well as are also active in conducting operations against ISIS two international military task forces operate in Iraq to assist the country's security forces at the request of the Iraqi Government; in 2018, NATO established an advisory, training and capacity-building mission for the Iraqi military known as the NATO Mission Iraq (NMI); in December 2021, the US-led Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) transitioned from a combat role to an advise, assist, and enable role (2025)

$585.887 billion (2024 est.) $595.082 billion (2023 est.) $592.017 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$12,700 (2024 est.) $13,200 (2023 est.) $13,400 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

-1.5% (2024 est.) 0.5% (2023 est.) 8% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

4.4% (2023 est.) 5% (2022 est.) 6% (2021 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

27.4% of GDP (2018 est.) note: central government debt as a % of GDP

$107.852 billion (2023 est.) $127.079 billion (2022 est.) $78.26 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$81.179 billion (2023 est.) $69.162 billion (2022 est.) $50.707 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

15.6% (2024 est.) 15.5% (2023 est.) 15.6% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $90.204 billion (2019 est.) expenditures: $64.512 billion (2019 est.) note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

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

wheat, dates, maize, tomatoes, rye, grapes, milk, chicken, potatoes, fruits (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 42,917,742 (2025 est.) male: 21,614,894 female: 21,302,848

1.94% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 34.6% (male 7,447,266/female 7,130,883) 15-64 years: 61.7% (male 13,064,516/female 12,907,702) 65 years and over: 3.6% (2024 est.) (male 681,574/female 851,495)

23.26 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

3.86 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 73.7 years (2024 est.) male: 71.9 years female: 75.7 years

urban population: 71.6% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 2.91% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

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

Arabic (official), Kurdish (official); Turkmen (a Turkish dialect) and Syriac (Neo-Aramaic) are recognized as official languages where native speakers of these languages are present major-language sample(s): كتاب حقائق العالم، أحسن مصدر للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic) ڕاستییەکانی جیهان، باشترین سەرچاوەیە بۆ زانیارییە بنەڕەتییەکان (Kurdish) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

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.) note: the last census in Iraq was in 1997; 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 much as 90% since 2003, according to US Embassy estimates, with many fleeing to Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon

total population: 84.1% (2021 est.) male: 90.3% (2021 est.) female: 77.8% (2021 est.)

petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur

Ansar al-Islam; Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)/Qods Force; Harakat al-Nujaba (HAN); Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya (HAAA); Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS); Jaysh Rijal al-Tariq al-Naqshabandi; Kata'ib Hizballah; Kata ib al-Imam Ali (KIA); Kata ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS); Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) 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 the Terrorism reference guide

refugees: 335,343 (2024 est.) IDPs: 1,201,813 (2024 est.) stateless persons: 233 (2024 est.)

73 (2025)

total: 2,272 km (2014) standard gauge: 2,272 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge

total: 74 (2023) by type: general cargo 1, oil tanker 6, other 67

total subscriptions: 46.1 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 100 (2024 est.)

percent of population: 82% (2023 est.)