Population in the largest city in Iraq
Iraq: Population in the largest city was 24.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Population in the largest city in Iraq, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
In 2025, population in the largest city in Iraq stood at 24.8%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in Iraq peaked at 38.4% in 1966 and was at its lowest, 24.2%, in 2016.
That places Iraq 99th out of 153 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city in Iraq, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 33.0% | — |
| 1961 | 34.1% | +3.5% |
| 1962 | 35.1% | +2.9% |
| 1963 | 36.0% | +2.6% |
| 1964 | 37.1% | +2.9% |
| 1965 | 38.3% | +3.3% |
| 1966 | 38.4% | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 38.1% | -0.8% |
| 1968 | 37.8% | -0.8% |
| 1969 | 37.6% | -0.7% |
| 1970 | 37.3% | -0.6% |
| 1971 | 37.1% | -0.5% |
| 1972 | 37.0% | -0.4% |
| 1973 | 36.8% | -0.4% |
| 1974 | 36.7% | -0.2% |
| 1975 | 36.7% | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 36.8% | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 36.8% | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 36.3% | -1.3% |
| 1979 | 35.7% | -1.8% |
| 1980 | 35.1% | -1.7% |
| 1981 | 34.5% | -1.6% |
| 1982 | 34.1% | -1.3% |
| 1983 | 33.6% | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 33.2% | -1.3% |
| 1985 | 33.0% | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 32.9% | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 32.9% | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 32.9% | +0.2% |
| 1989 | 32.9% | -0.1% |
| 1990 | 33.4% | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 34.0% | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 34.0% | -0.0% |
| 1993 | 33.3% | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 32.7% | -1.9% |
| 1995 | 32.5% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 32.4% | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 32.2% | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 32.0% | -0.6% |
| 1999 | 31.7% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 31.5% | -0.8% |
| 2001 | 31.2% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 31.0% | -0.8% |
| 2003 | 30.8% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 29.1% | -5.6% |
| 2005 | 27.4% | -5.7% |
| 2006 | 26.4% | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 25.9% | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 26.5% | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 26.6% | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 26.4% | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 26.0% | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 25.4% | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 24.7% | -2.7% |
| 2014 | 24.4% | -1.5% |
| 2015 | 24.2% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 24.2% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 24.2% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 24.2% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 24.2% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 24.3% | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 24.3% | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 24.4% | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 24.5% | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 24.6% | +0.5% |
| 2025 | 24.8% | +0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 36.6% | 33.0% | 38.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 36.7% | 35.7% | 37.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 33.5% | 32.9% | 35.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 32.8% | 31.7% | 34.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 28.6% | 25.9% | 31.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.8% | 24.2% | 26.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.5% | 24.3% | 24.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More urban development data for Iraq
- Population density 103.83 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 49.47 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.2461 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 11.57 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 2.81 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 25.23 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 8.14 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 5.3 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 208.53 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in the largest city in Iraq?
- Population in the largest city in Iraq was 24.8% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 38.4% in 1966.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 24.2% in 2016.
- How does Iraq rank for population in the largest city?
- Iraq ranks 99th out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.