Annual growth rate of urban population share in Iraq
Iraq: Annual growth rate of urban population share was 0.1% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.1%
Change on year
up 110.5%
World rank
156th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.4%
in 1961
All-time low
-0.6%
in 1992
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Annual growth rate of urban population share in Iraq, 1950–2025
Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, annual growth rate of urban population share in Iraq stood at 0.1%.
That represents a change of up 110.5% on the previous year and down 24.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual growth rate of urban population share in Iraq peaked at 3.4% in 1961 and was at its lowest, -0.6%, in 1992.
Iraq ranks 156th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual growth rate of urban population share in Iraq, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 1.6% | — |
| 1951 | 1.8% | +12.4% |
| 1952 | 1.9% | +9.1% |
| 1953 | 2.1% | +6.6% |
| 1954 | 2.2% | +4.7% |
| 1955 | 2.2% | +3.1% |
| 1956 | 2.3% | +1.2% |
| 1957 | 2.3% | +2.9% |
| 1958 | 2.7% | +15.2% |
| 1959 | 3.1% | +15.3% |
| 1960 | 3.3% | +7.5% |
| 1961 | 3.4% | +2.0% |
| 1962 | 3.3% | -2.2% |
| 1963 | 3.1% | -5.9% |
| 1964 | 2.8% | -10.7% |
| 1965 | 2.4% | -12.3% |
| 1966 | 2.2% | -10.1% |
| 1967 | 2.1% | -3.7% |
| 1968 | 2.0% | -4.3% |
| 1969 | 1.9% | -4.4% |
| 1970 | 1.8% | -4.5% |
| 1971 | 1.8% | -4.7% |
| 1972 | 1.7% | -4.9% |
| 1973 | 1.6% | -5.1% |
| 1974 | 1.5% | -5.3% |
| 1975 | 1.4% | -5.5% |
| 1976 | 1.3% | -6.3% |
| 1977 | 1.3% | -4.7% |
| 1978 | 1.3% | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 1.3% | +3.6% |
| 1980 | 1.3% | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 1.3% | -3.8% |
| 1982 | 1.2% | -7.4% |
| 1983 | 1.0% | -11.5% |
| 1984 | 0.9% | -16.9% |
| 1985 | 0.7% | -24.2% |
| 1986 | 0.4% | -44.2% |
| 1987 | 0.1% | -68.9% |
| 1988 | -0.1% | -229.5% |
| 1989 | -0.3% | +122.6% |
| 1990 | -0.5% | +40.7% |
| 1991 | -0.5% | +18.7% |
| 1992 | -0.6% | +7.4% |
| 1993 | -0.6% | -1.1% |
| 1994 | -0.5% | -9.3% |
| 1995 | -0.4% | -18.8% |
| 1996 | -0.3% | -41.2% |
| 1997 | -0.1% | -67.2% |
| 1998 | 0.0% | -155.7% |
| 1999 | 0.1% | +129.2% |
| 2000 | 0.2% | +46.5% |
| 2001 | 0.2% | +24.9% |
| 2002 | 0.2% | +14.8% |
| 2003 | 0.2% | +8.5% |
| 2004 | 0.2% | +3.6% |
| 2005 | 0.2% | -0.4% |
| 2006 | 0.2% | -4.3% |
| 2007 | 0.2% | -8.4% |
| 2008 | 0.2% | -14.3% |
| 2009 | 0.1% | -21.0% |
| 2010 | 0.1% | -30.9% |
| 2011 | 0.1% | +7.2% |
| 2012 | 0.2% | +105.2% |
| 2013 | 0.3% | +48.1% |
| 2014 | 0.4% | +16.1% |
| 2015 | 0.1% | -65.0% |
| 2016 | -0.0% | -114.3% |
| 2017 | -0.0% | +44.8% |
| 2018 | -0.0% | -30.6% |
| 2019 | -0.0% | -80.0% |
| 2020 | -0.0% | -97.4% |
| 2021 | 0.0% | -100.0% |
| 2022 | 0.0% | — |
| 2023 | 0.0% | — |
| 2024 | 0.0% | +508.7% |
| 2025 | 0.1% | +110.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.2% | 1.6% | 3.1% | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.7% | 1.9% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.5% | 1.3% | 1.8% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.6% | -0.3% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.3% | -0.6% | 0.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1% | -0.0% | 0.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0% | -0.0% | 0.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
- 153 Western Sahara 0.1% compare
- 154 Azerbaijan 0.1% compare
- 155 Palau 0.1% compare
- 157 Montenegro 0.1% compare
- 158 Ukraine 0.1% compare
- 159 Puerto Rico 0.1% compare
More population data for Iraq
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.1891 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -3.65 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.1891 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.3293 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 74,515 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.07 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.4379 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.2% (2100)
- Population density 231.84 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 5.99 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual growth rate of urban population share in Iraq?
- Annual growth rate of urban population share in Iraq was 0.1% in 2025, according to United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual growth rate of urban population share recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 3.4% in 1961.
- What is the lowest annual growth rate of urban population share recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.6% in 1992.
- How does Iraq rank for annual growth rate of urban population share?
- Iraq ranks 156th out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual growth rate of urban population share rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual growth rate of urban population share. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 76 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average annual rate of change of the share of the population living in urban areas.