This article is about the demographic features of the population of Iraq, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
The 2009 IMF population estimate of Iraq is 31,234,000.[1]
Background
Iraq was created in the region known in the west as Mesopotamia after the first world war, the population estimate in 1920 was 3 million. The ruins of Ur, Babylon, and other ancient cities are situated in Iraq, as is the legendary location of the Garden of Eden. Almost 75% of Iraq's population lives in the flat, alluvial plain stretching southeast from Baghdad to Basra and the Persian Gulf. The Tigris River and the Euphrates River carry about 70 million cubic meters of silt annually from this plain down to the delta. The water from these two great rivers, and the fertility of the soil in the alluvial plain and the delta, allowed early agriculture to sustain a stable population as far back as the 6th millennium BC.
Over its long history, many civilizations grew and flourished in the region. Following the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq was formed by the League of Nations from three Ottoman vilayets (regions), gaining independence in 1932.
Ethnic divisions
Iraq is home to several ethnic groups, the most numerous being Arabic speakers, followed by Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen and Assyrians. Other distinct groups are Armenians, Persians, Shabaks and Lurs. Arabic is the most commonly spoken language. Kurdish, Iraqi Turkish and Syriac are spoken in the north, and English is the most commonly spoken Western language. [2]
The Semitic Iraqis today are an overall indigenous Mesopotamian people, who are closely related to the indigenous ancient people, much like the case with the people of the Levant. While modern-day Iraqi Arabs form part of the Arab collective by virtue of their modern-day language and bonds to Arab culture and history — they are in fact largely a blend of the various Aramaic speaking groups indigenous to the region, as well as other groups like the Kurds and Turks, and not the direct descendants of the tribes of Arabia. However, during the Arab expansion period, Muslim Arabs from Arabia controlled the area and there was some amount of immigration.
Shia Islam is the predominant religion, followed by Sunni Islam and Christianity. Small communities of Bahá'ís, Mandaeans, and Yezidis also exist. Until 1948, there was also a 150,000 strong community of Jews, but the community has dwindled down to no more than a handful today. Most Kurds are Sunni Muslim, with about 10% being Shi'a Faili Kurds in central Iraq.
Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen and Assyrians differ from their Arab neighbors in language, dress, and customs.
Demographic statistics
The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.
Population
- 31,234,000.[1] (April 2009 IMF est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years: 39.7% (male 5,398,645; female 5,231,760)
- 15-64 years: 57.3% (male 7,776,257; female 7,576,726)
- 65 years and over: 3% (male 376,700; female 423,295) (2006 est.)
Population growth rate
- 2.66% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
- 31.45 births/1,000 population (2006 est)
Death rate
- 5.37 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate
- 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio
- at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
- under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
- total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate
- 48.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
- total population: 69.01 years
- male: 67.76 years
- female: 70.31 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate
- 4.18 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Nationality
- noun: Iraqi(s)
- adjective: Iraqi
Ethnic groups
Arabs 72-80%, Kurds 5%-15%, Iraqi Turkmen 4%-13%,[3] Assyrian, and other 3%-5% .
Religions
Muslim 97% (Shia 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian 3% (down from 7% 50 years ago).
Languages
Arabic, Kurdish, Turkish, Aramaic; Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, Chaldean Neo-Aramaic, and Armenian
Literacy
- definition: age 15 and over can read and write
- total population: 74.1%
- male: 84.1%
- female: 64.2% (2000 est.)
Median Age
- Total Population: 19.7 years
- Male: 19.6 years
- Female: 19.8 years (2006 est.)
See also
- Iraqi people
- Iraqi diaspora
- Refugees of Iraq
- Iraqi Turkmen
- Assyrian homeland
- Palestinians in Iraq
- Arab Tribes in Iraq
- History of the Jews in Iraq
- Armenians in Iraq
- Minority politics in Iraq
References
- ^ a b "Iraq". International Monetary Fund. http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2009/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2006&ey=2009&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=433&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=83&pr.y=17. Retrieved 2009-04-27.
- ^ Linguist List - Show languages in a Country
- ^ http://www.unpo.org/content/view/7878/117/
External links
- Iraq Inter-Agency Information & Analysis Unit Reports, Maps and Assessments of Iraq's Governorates from the UN Inter-Agency Information & Analysis Unit
- Kurdish Institute Kurdish language, history, books and latest news articles.
- Life in Iraq - People
- CIA World Fact Book
- UN press briefing on the demographics of Iraq
- Assimilation, Exodus, Eradication: Iraq’s minority communities since 2003, Report by Minority Rights Group International
- Linguist List partial inventory of languages and dialects of Iraq
- BBC page with population density map, and a religious breakdown map. October 23, 2006 article.
Bibliography
- Nakash, Yitzhak (2003). The Shi'is of Iraq. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-11575-3.
- Jabar, Faleh A. (2004). The Shi'ite Movement in Iraq. Saqi Books. ISBN 0-86356-395-3.
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