Birth rate in Iraq

Iraq: Birth rate was 25.73 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
25.73 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
52nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
49.41 births per 1,000 people
in 1952
All-time low
25.73 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Birth rate in Iraq, 1950–2023

01020304050195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.

Analysis

Iraq recorded 25.73 births per 1,000 people for birth rate in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.

The figure is down 1.1% on the previous year and down 24.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, birth rate in Iraq peaked at 49.41 births per 1,000 people in 1952 and was at its lowest, 25.73 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.

That places Iraq 52nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.

Birth rate in Iraq, year by year

Annual values for Birth rate in Iraq, 1950 to 2023.
Year births per 1,000 people Change
1950 45.88 births per 1,000 people
1951 46.84 births per 1,000 people +2.1%
1952 49.41 births per 1,000 people +5.5%
1953 48.83 births per 1,000 people -1.2%
1954 47.63 births per 1,000 people -2.5%
1955 41.92 births per 1,000 people -12.0%
1956 41.66 births per 1,000 people -0.6%
1957 33.27 births per 1,000 people -20.1%
1958 33.33 births per 1,000 people +0.2%
1959 36.76 births per 1,000 people +10.3%
1960 36.7 births per 1,000 people -0.2%
1961 40.05 births per 1,000 people +9.1%
1962 47.89 births per 1,000 people +19.6%
1963 47.49 births per 1,000 people -0.8%
1964 47.08 births per 1,000 people -0.9%
1965 46.74 births per 1,000 people -0.7%
1966 46.38 births per 1,000 people -0.8%
1967 46.09 births per 1,000 people -0.6%
1968 45.99 births per 1,000 people -0.2%
1969 45.93 births per 1,000 people -0.1%
1970 45.64 births per 1,000 people -0.6%
1971 45.35 births per 1,000 people -0.6%
1972 44.92 births per 1,000 people -1.0%
1973 44.42 births per 1,000 people -1.1%
1974 43.96 births per 1,000 people -1.0%
1975 43.42 births per 1,000 people -1.2%
1976 42.78 births per 1,000 people -1.5%
1977 42.08 births per 1,000 people -1.6%
1978 41.44 births per 1,000 people -1.5%
1979 40.96 births per 1,000 people -1.2%
1980 40.46 births per 1,000 people -1.2%
1981 40.17 births per 1,000 people -0.7%
1982 39.92 births per 1,000 people -0.6%
1983 39.62 births per 1,000 people -0.8%
1984 39.6 births per 1,000 people -0.1%
1985 39.54 births per 1,000 people -0.1%
1986 39.03 births per 1,000 people -1.3%
1987 39 births per 1,000 people -0.1%
1988 39.38 births per 1,000 people +1.0%
1989 39.63 births per 1,000 people +0.7%
1990 40.59 births per 1,000 people +2.4%
1991 39.96 births per 1,000 people -1.6%
1992 39.48 births per 1,000 people -1.2%
1993 38.58 births per 1,000 people -2.3%
1994 38.62 births per 1,000 people +0.1%
1995 38.03 births per 1,000 people -1.5%
1996 37.5 births per 1,000 people -1.4%
1997 37.34 births per 1,000 people -0.4%
1998 37 births per 1,000 people -0.9%
1999 36.7 births per 1,000 people -0.8%
2000 36.11 births per 1,000 people -1.6%
2001 35.55 births per 1,000 people -1.6%
2002 34.79 births per 1,000 people -2.1%
2003 34.52 births per 1,000 people -0.8%
2004 34.34 births per 1,000 people -0.5%
2005 33.94 births per 1,000 people -1.2%
2006 34.96 births per 1,000 people +3.0%
2007 34.5 births per 1,000 people -1.3%
2008 33.65 births per 1,000 people -2.5%
2009 33.93 births per 1,000 people +0.8%
2010 34.6 births per 1,000 people +2.0%
2011 35.49 births per 1,000 people +2.6%
2012 34.83 births per 1,000 people -1.9%
2013 34.14 births per 1,000 people -2.0%
2014 33.33 births per 1,000 people -2.4%
2015 31.56 births per 1,000 people -5.3%
2016 29.82 births per 1,000 people -5.5%
2017 28.3 births per 1,000 people -5.1%
2018 27.66 births per 1,000 people -2.3%
2019 27.25 births per 1,000 people -1.5%
2020 26.84 births per 1,000 people -1.5%
2021 26.45 births per 1,000 people -1.5%
2022 26 births per 1,000 people -1.7%
2023 25.73 births per 1,000 people -1.1%

Iraq compared with similar countries

  • Iraq's 25.73 births per 1,000 people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.97 births per 1,000 people, 1.8× the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • Iraq's 25.73 births per 1,000 people is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 17.02 births per 1,000 people, 1.5× the median. (23 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 42.55 births per 1,000 people 33.27 births per 1,000 people 49.41 births per 1,000 people 10
1960s 45.03 births per 1,000 people 36.7 births per 1,000 people 47.89 births per 1,000 people 10
1970s 43.5 births per 1,000 people 40.96 births per 1,000 people 45.64 births per 1,000 people 10
1980s 39.64 births per 1,000 people 39 births per 1,000 people 40.46 births per 1,000 people 10
1990s 38.38 births per 1,000 people 36.7 births per 1,000 people 40.59 births per 1,000 people 10
2000s 34.63 births per 1,000 people 33.65 births per 1,000 people 36.11 births per 1,000 people 10
2010s 31.7 births per 1,000 people 27.25 births per 1,000 people 35.49 births per 1,000 people 10
2020s 26.26 births per 1,000 people 25.73 births per 1,000 people 26.84 births per 1,000 people 4

Countries ranked near Iraq

  1. 49 Tajikistan 26.12 births per 1,000 people compare
  2. 50 Namibia 25.89 births per 1,000 people compare
  3. 51 Kiribati 25.81 births per 1,000 people compare
  4. 53 Nauru 25.5 births per 1,000 people compare
  5. 54 French Guiana 25.4 births per 1,000 people compare
  6. 54 Samoa 25.4 births per 1,000 people compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for Iraq

All data for Iraq →

Frequently asked questions

What is birth rate in Iraq?
Birth rate in Iraq was 25.73 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest birth rate recorded in Iraq?
The highest recorded value was 49.41 births per 1,000 people in 1952.
What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Iraq?
The lowest recorded value was 25.73 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
How does Iraq rank for birth rate?
Iraq ranks 52nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is birth rate rising or falling in Iraq?
Over the last ten years it is down 24.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Iraq data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Birth rate in Iraq. Statizoid, drawing on UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/crude-birth-rate/iraq/

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About this data

Indicator
Birth rate
Unit
births per 1,000 people
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

Number of live births in a year per 1,000 people in the population.