Share of population living in urbanized areas in Iraq

Iraq: Share of population living in urbanized areas was 73.1% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
73.1%
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
71st
of 202 countries
All-time high
73.1%
in 2025
All-time low
2.5%
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025

Share of population living in urbanized areas in Iraq, 1000–2025

020406080100015122025

Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Iraq recorded 73.1% for share of population living in urbanized areas in 2025. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.

The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 3.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urbanized areas in Iraq peaked at 73.1% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 1000.

That places Iraq 71st out of 202 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 2.5% 2.5% 2.5% 1
1100s 2.6% 2.6% 2.6% 1
1200s 2.8% 2.8% 2.8% 1
1300s 2.9% 2.9% 2.9% 1
1400s 3.1% 3.1% 3.1% 1
1500s 3.2% 3.2% 3.2% 1
1600s 3.4% 3.4% 3.4% 1
1700s 3.5% 3.5% 3.5% 1
1710s 4.0% 4.0% 4.0% 1
1720s 4.3% 4.3% 4.3% 1
1730s 4.7% 4.7% 4.7% 1
1740s 5.2% 5.2% 5.2% 1
1750s 5.7% 5.7% 5.7% 1
1760s 6.2% 6.2% 6.2% 1
1770s 6.8% 6.8% 6.8% 1
1780s 7.5% 7.5% 7.5% 1
1790s 8.2% 8.2% 8.2% 1
1800s 9.0% 9.0% 9.0% 1
1810s 9.8% 9.8% 9.8% 1
1820s 10.8% 10.8% 10.8% 1
1830s 11.8% 11.8% 11.8% 1
1840s 12.9% 12.9% 12.9% 1
1850s 14.1% 14.1% 14.1% 1
1860s 15.5% 15.5% 15.5% 1
1870s 17.0% 17.0% 17.0% 1
1880s 18.6% 18.6% 18.6% 1
1890s 20.3% 20.3% 20.3% 1
1900s 22.3% 22.3% 22.3% 1
1910s 24.4% 24.4% 24.4% 1
1920s 26.7% 26.7% 26.7% 1
1930s 29.3% 29.3% 29.3% 1
1940s 32.1% 32.1% 32.1% 1
1950s 38.3% 35.1% 42.5% 10
1960s 51.0% 44.1% 56.7% 10
1970s 62.0% 57.8% 66.1% 10
1980s 70.5% 66.9% 72.7% 10
1990s 71.1% 70.2% 72.5% 10
2000s 70.1% 70.1% 70.1% 10
2010s 70.5% 70.1% 71.0% 10
2020s 72.1% 71.1% 73.1% 6

Countries ranked near Iraq

  1. 68 Estonia 74.4% compare
  2. 69 Turkey 73.9% compare
  3. 70 Ukraine 73.9% compare
  4. 72 Italy 73.1% compare
  5. 73 Hungary 73.0% compare
  6. 74 Iceland 72.8% compare

See the full ranking of 202 places →

More population data for Iraq

All data for Iraq →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urbanized areas in Iraq?
Share of population living in urbanized areas in Iraq was 73.1% in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urbanized areas recorded in Iraq?
The highest recorded value was 73.1% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of population living in urbanized areas recorded in Iraq?
The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 1000.
How does Iraq rank for share of population living in urbanized areas?
Iraq ranks 71st out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of population living in urbanized areas rising or falling in Iraq?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Iraq data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urbanized areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urbanized areas
Unit
%
Source
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 21,784 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Share of population living in urban areas in a country over time.