Urban population in Iraq
Iraq: Urban population was 69.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Iraq, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Iraq is 69.9%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Iraq peaked at 70.2% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 44.0%, in 1960.
Iraq ranks 90th of 217 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Iraq, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 44.0% | — |
| 1961 | 45.5% | +3.4% |
| 1962 | 47.0% | +3.4% |
| 1963 | 48.6% | +3.3% |
| 1964 | 50.0% | +3.0% |
| 1965 | 51.4% | +2.6% |
| 1966 | 52.5% | +2.3% |
| 1967 | 53.7% | +2.2% |
| 1968 | 54.8% | +2.1% |
| 1969 | 55.9% | +2.0% |
| 1970 | 57.0% | +1.9% |
| 1971 | 58.0% | +1.8% |
| 1972 | 59.0% | +1.7% |
| 1973 | 60.0% | +1.6% |
| 1974 | 60.9% | +1.6% |
| 1975 | 61.8% | +1.5% |
| 1976 | 62.7% | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 63.5% | +1.3% |
| 1978 | 64.3% | +1.3% |
| 1979 | 65.1% | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 66.0% | +1.3% |
| 1981 | 66.9% | +1.3% |
| 1982 | 67.7% | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 68.5% | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 69.1% | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 69.7% | +0.8% |
| 1986 | 70.0% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 70.2% | +0.2% |
| 1988 | 70.2% | -0.0% |
| 1989 | 70.0% | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 69.7% | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 69.4% | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 69.0% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 68.6% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 68.2% | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 67.8% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 67.6% | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 67.5% | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 67.5% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 67.5% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 67.6% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 67.8% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 67.9% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 68.1% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 68.2% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 68.4% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 68.6% | +0.2% |
| 2007 | 68.7% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 68.9% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 69.0% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 69.1% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 69.1% | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 69.2% | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 69.4% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 69.7% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 69.9% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 69.9% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 69.9% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 69.9% | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 69.9% | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 69.9% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 69.9% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 69.9% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 69.9% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 69.9% | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 69.9% | +0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 50.3% | 44.0% | 55.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 61.2% | 57.0% | 65.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 68.8% | 66.0% | 70.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 68.3% | 67.5% | 69.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 68.3% | 67.6% | 69.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.6% | 69.1% | 69.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 69.9% | 69.9% | 69.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More climate change data for Iraq
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 10,634 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 3,750 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 6,884 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 14.15 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 245.84 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 5,859 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 4,294 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,565 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 16.21 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 55.89 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Iraq?
- Urban population in Iraq was 69.9% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 70.2% in 1987.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.0% in 1960.
- How does Iraq rank for urban population?
- Iraq ranks 90th out of 217 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.