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Iraq: Quick Facts

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News •

Trump defends his war policies in speech at Arlington National Cemetery • Nov. 11, 2026, 9:45 PM ET (Washington Post)
Iraq's Khor Mor gas field hit less than day after reportedly referenced by Kataib Hezbollah • Nov. 9, 2026, 12:50 PM ET (Jerusalem Post)
Iraq FM: Iran war cost $60b in lost oil exports, reaches understanding with US • Nov. 8, 2026, 2:43 PM ET (Jerusalem Post)
Turkey is supporting Iraqi attempts to combat ISIS threats to Kirkuk, other regions • Nov. 8, 2026, 10:56 AM ET (Jerusalem Post)
Kurdish power-sharing deal cracks as one of two rival parties quits northern Iraq’s government • Nov. 5, 2026, 11:11 PM ET (Washington Post)

Facts

Also Known As Al-ʿIrāq • ʿIraq • Al-Jumhūrīyyah al-ʿIrāqīyyah • Republic of Iraq
Head Of Government Prime Minister: Ali al-Zaidi
Capital Baghdad
Population (2026 est.) 46,752,0002
Head Of State President: Nizar Amedi
Form Of Government multiparty republic with one legislative house (Council of Representatives of Iraq [3291])
Official Languages Arabic; Kurdish
Official Religion Islam
Official Name الحمهورية العراقية (Al-Jumhūriyyah al-ʿIrāqiyyah; “Republic of Iraq”)
Total Area (Sq Km) 435,052
Total Area (Sq Mi) 167,974
Monetary Unit Iraqi dinar (ID)
Population Rank (2026) 35
Population Projection 2030 53,036,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi (2026) 278.3
Density: Persons Per Sq Km (2026) 107.5
Urban-Rural Population Urban: (2022) 69.9% • Rural: (2022) 30.1%
Life Expectancy At Birth Male: (2021) 68.9 years • Female: (2021) 73.9 years
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000) (2024) 277,443
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$) (2024) 6,030
1Includes nine seats reserved for minorities.2Includes about a million internally displaced persons and nearly 343,000 refugees and asylum-seekers (mostly from Syria).

Photos

flag of Iraq
Political map of Iraq showing its international boundaries with Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria. Major cities such as Baghdad, Mosul, Basra, and Erbil are labeled, along with rivers and key towns. An inset locator map highlights Iraq's position within the Middle East.
Map highlighting Iraq in the Middle East, shaded in tan, with its capital Baghdad marked. Surrounding countries including Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, and others are labeled, along with major bodies of water such as the Persian Gulf, Caspian Sea, and Arabian Sea.
Physical map of Iraq highlighting major rivers such as the Tigris and Euphrates, key lakes, mountain ranges, and deserts within the country's borders. Neighboring countries including Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria are shown. An inset locator map in the bottom left corner indicates Iraq's position within the Middle East.
dhows in the Shatt al-Arab, Iraq
Euphrates River at Khān al-Baghdādī, Iraq
Tigris River in Baghdad
marshland in southern Iraq
Kurdish settlement in southwestern Asia
The citadel mound in Irbil, Iraq, with large tan fortress walls and buildings atop a hill, and people sitting and walking in a plaza with benches and a blue umbrella in the foreground.
National anthem of Iraq
See All Images, Audio and Interactives →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic
Saddam Hussein sits behind a wooden barrier in an Iraqi courtroom, holding a yellow paper and listening during a legal proceeding.
Saddam Hussein
president of Iraq
Nouri al-Maliki
Nouri al-Maliki
prime minister of Iraq
Mohammed Shia al-Sudani
Mohammed Shia al-Sudani
prime minister of Iraq
Ali al-Zaidi, prime minister of Iraq, speaks at a podium with microphones, gesturing with his right hand. The European Union and Iraqi flags are visible behind him.
Ali al-Zaidi
prime minister of Iraq
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Tariq Aziz
Iraqi public official
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Ibrahim al-Jaafari
prime minister of Iraq
Ayad Allawi
Ayad Allawi
prime minister of Iraq
Faisal I
Faisal I
king of Iraq
Nuri al-Said
Nuri al-Said
Iraqi statesman
default image
ʿAbd al-Karīm Qāsim
prime minister of Iraq
Gertrude Bell, c. 1910.
Gertrude Bell
English politician and writer
Talabani, Jalal
Jalal Talabani
president of Iraq
Uday Hussein
Uday Hussein
Iraqi official
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L. Paul Bremer III
American government official
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Mustafa al-Barzani
Kurdish military leader
default image
al-Ḥajjāj
Umayyad governor of Iraq
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Rashid Ali al-Gaylani
prime minister of Iraq
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Faisal II
king of Iraq
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ʿAbd al-Salām ʿĀrif
president of Iraq
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Jamil al-Midfaʿi
Iraqi statesman

Related Places

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as-Sulaymānīyah
governorate, Iraq
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an-Najaf
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Fallujah, Iraq.
Fallujah
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Basra: oil terminal
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Nabi Yunus Mosque
Mosul
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Karbala, Iraq
Karbala
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Sāmarrāʾ, Iraq
Sāmarrāʾ
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Al-Sulaymāniyyah, capital of Al-Sulaymāniyyah governorate, Iraq.
Al-Sulaymāniyyah
Iraq
Al-Kūt, capital of Wāsiṭ governorate, Iraq.
Al-Kūt
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The old part of Kirkūk, Iraq, seen from across the bed of the dried-up Qaḍāʾ River.
Kirkūk
Iraq

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