Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Iraq
Iraq: Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million was 11.57 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
11.57 million
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
29th
of 121 countries
All-time high
11.57 million
in 2025
All-time low
1.43 million
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Iraq, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Iraq stood at 11.57 million. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and up 29.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Iraq peaked at 11.57 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.43 million, in 1960.
Iraq ranks 29th of 121 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Iraq, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 1.43 million | — |
| 1961 | 1.55 million | +8.8% |
| 1962 | 1.69 million | +8.8% |
| 1963 | 1.84 million | +8.8% |
| 1964 | 2.00 million | +8.9% |
| 1965 | 2.18 million | +8.9% |
| 1966 | 2.30 million | +5.6% |
| 1967 | 2.40 million | +4.3% |
| 1968 | 2.50 million | +4.3% |
| 1969 | 2.61 million | +4.3% |
| 1970 | 2.72 million | +4.3% |
| 1971 | 2.84 million | +4.3% |
| 1972 | 2.96 million | +4.3% |
| 1973 | 3.09 million | +4.3% |
| 1974 | 3.23 million | +4.4% |
| 1975 | 3.37 million | +4.4% |
| 1976 | 3.51 million | +4.4% |
| 1977 | 3.67 million | +4.4% |
| 1978 | 3.79 million | +3.3% |
| 1979 | 3.90 million | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 4.01 million | +2.8% |
| 1981 | 4.12 million | +2.8% |
| 1982 | 4.23 million | +2.8% |
| 1983 | 4.35 million | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 4.48 million | +2.8% |
| 1985 | 4.61 million | +2.8% |
| 1986 | 4.74 million | +2.8% |
| 1987 | 4.87 million | +2.8% |
| 1988 | 5.01 million | +2.9% |
| 1989 | 5.15 million | +2.9% |
| 1990 | 5.30 million | +2.9% |
| 1991 | 5.45 million | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 5.61 million | +2.9% |
| 1993 | 5.78 million | +2.9% |
| 1994 | 5.94 million | +2.9% |
| 1995 | 6.12 million | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 6.30 million | +2.9% |
| 1997 | 6.48 million | +2.9% |
| 1998 | 6.66 million | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 6.83 million | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 7.01 million | +2.6% |
| 2001 | 7.20 million | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 7.39 million | +2.6% |
| 2003 | 7.58 million | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 7.47 million | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 7.37 million | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 7.27 million | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 7.18 million | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 7.46 million | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 7.75 million | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 7.94 million | +2.4% |
| 2011 | 8.13 million | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 8.33 million | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 8.54 million | +2.4% |
| 2014 | 8.75 million | +2.5% |
| 2015 | 8.96 million | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 9.18 million | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 9.41 million | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 9.64 million | +2.5% |
| 2019 | 9.88 million | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 10.13 million | +2.5% |
| 2021 | 10.39 million | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 10.66 million | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 10.95 million | +2.7% |
| 2024 | 11.25 million | +2.8% |
| 2025 | 11.57 million | +2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.05 million | 1.43 million | 2.61 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.31 million | 2.72 million | 3.90 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.56 million | 4.01 million | 5.15 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.05 million | 5.30 million | 6.83 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 7.37 million | 7.01 million | 7.75 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.88 million | 7.94 million | 9.88 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.83 million | 10.13 million | 11.57 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More urban development data for Iraq
- Population in the largest city 24.8% (2025)
- 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, 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 urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Iraq?
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million in Iraq was 11.57 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 11.57 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.43 million in 1960.
- How does Iraq rank for population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million?
- Iraq ranks 29th out of 121 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million. 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
Population in urban agglomerations of more than one million is the country's population living in metropolitan areas that in 2018 had a population of more than one million people.