Iraq

Classification and basic identifiers

Iraq is a United Nations member state and appears in the UN M49 standard with the code 368. Its ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code is IQ; the alpha-3 code is IRQ. The UN assigns Iraq to the region Asia and the subregion Western Asia. The World Bank administrative centre field lists Baghdad. These identifiers are statistical classifications maintained by the UN Statistics Division; they describe how Iraq is grouped in international data systems, not a political or territorial claim.

For the authoritative list of country codes and regional groupings, see the UN M49 overview at For machine-readable country metadata, the World Bank API at returns the current list of countries and their codes.

Field	Value	Source
UN M49 code	368	UN Statistics Division
ISO alpha-2	IQ	ISO 3166-1
ISO alpha-3	IRQ	ISO 3166-1
UN region	Asia	UN M49
UN subregion	Western Asia	UN M49
UN member state	Yes	UN
World Bank capital field	Baghdad	World Bank country profile

These identifiers are stable and come from the UN Statistics Division’s M49 classification and the World Bank’s country API. The M49 standard is a statistical geography, not a political or territorial claim. The administrative centre field in World Bank data is administrative and may not reflect every government’s claim or seat of authority.

People and society

Population estimates and their limits

The most recent UN population estimates are produced annually by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). For Iraq, the 2024 revision of World Population Prospects is the reference dataset. That dataset gives estimates rather than census counts, and the last full census was in 1997; the 2020 census was postponed. For a national figure, the Central Statistical Organization of Iraq publishes its own estimates, which may differ from UN estimates by several hundred thousand people because of different assumptions about migration and birth registration.

The World Bank records Iraq’s inhabitants at 45,504,560 (2023 estimate). The UN World Population Prospects 2024 revision puts the figure at approximately 46.0 million, a mid-year projection. Treat all these numbers as estimates, not exact counts. Use the UN World Population Prospects for cross-country comparison, but always name the reference year and the agency that published the number you cite. Do not present a single number as fixed fact.

Language

The official languages of Iraq are Arabic and Kurdish. Source: Constitution of Iraq, Article 4 (2005). Other recognised minority languages include Turkmen, Syriac, and Armenian, which have regional status where their speakers are concentrated. No single percentage is reliable for all dialects, and figures on speaker numbers are not collected in recent censuses. For linguistic data, cite a named source such as Ethnologue or UNESCO and state the year.

Government and economy

Government type

Iraq is a federal parliamentary republic. The 2005 constitution defines it as a democratic, federal republic. Executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers; the President is head of state. The Council of Representatives is the elected legislature. Source: Constitution of Iraq, 2005; CIA World Factbook, reference year 2024.

Currency

The currency is the Iraqi dinar (IQD). Exchange rates fluctuate; use a source such as the central bank or a reputable financial data provider, and name the date of the rate you cite. Do not state a fixed conversion.

Economic structure

Iraq is an upper-middle-income economy per the World Bank; the economy is dominated by oil exports. The oil sector accounts for about 90% of government revenue and 80% of export earnings (World Bank, 2023). GDP figures, growth rates, and income classifications change annually and must be sourced from the World Bank API or the IMF with the reference year stated.

The World Bank API endpoint at returns the country code, region, income level, and lending category. The World Bank’s country profile page for Iraq provides indicators such as inhabitants, GDP, and poverty headcount, each with a defined source and year. World Bank income classifications are updated on 1 July each year.

For Iraq, the latest available data (World Bank, 2023) show GDP per capita (PPP, current international dollars) of 12,381. The Gini index was 29.5 (World Bank, 2012). The UNDP Human Development Index rank was 121 of 193 (UNDP 2022). PPP figures should be used for living standards comparisons, not for exchange-rate-based comparisons. GDP growth is volatile; inflation and unemployment data are contested.

Using the data

Source literacy checklist

• Check the SP.POP.TOTL indicator in the World Bank API and note the year.
• World Bank data is updated quarterly; check the date field in the API response for the latest reference year per indicator.
• When citing a figure, name the publishing agency, the dataset, and the reference year.
• Distinguish between UN estimates, World Bank estimates, and national statistical office figures; they will not match exactly.
• Use PPP-based GDP for living-standards comparisons and exchange-rate-based GDP for market-size comparisons.

Travel and safety

Do not provide travel advice. Direct readers to their own government’s travel advisory. Example sources: UK FCDO, US State Department, or IATA Travel Centre.