Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Iraq
Iraq: Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas was 67.0% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Iraq, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Iraq stood at 67.0%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 10.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Iraq peaked at 67.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 21.8%, in 1950.
That places Iraq 22nd out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Iraq, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 21.8% | — |
| 1955 | 24.6% | +12.9% |
| 1960 | 29.7% | +20.7% |
| 1965 | 36.9% | +24.2% |
| 1970 | 40.6% | +10.1% |
| 1975 | 44.3% | +9.1% |
| 1980 | 47.3% | +6.8% |
| 1985 | 48.3% | +2.1% |
| 1990 | 49.5% | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 52.4% | +5.8% |
| 2000 | 55.2% | +5.5% |
| 2005 | 58.5% | +5.8% |
| 2010 | 60.7% | +3.9% |
| 2015 | 64.9% | +6.8% |
| 2020 | 67.0% | +3.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 23.2% | 21.8% | 24.6% | 2 |
| 1960s | 33.3% | 29.7% | 36.9% | 2 |
| 1970s | 42.5% | 40.6% | 44.3% | 2 |
| 1980s | 47.8% | 47.3% | 48.3% | 2 |
| 1990s | 51.0% | 49.5% | 52.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 56.8% | 55.2% | 58.5% | 2 |
| 2010s | 62.8% | 60.7% | 64.9% | 2 |
| 2020s | 67.0% | 67.0% | 67.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
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 share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Iraq?
- Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas in Iraq was 67.0% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 67.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.8% in 1950.
- How does Iraq rank for share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas?
- Iraq ranks 22nd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities, towns and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated share of the population living in cities. Cities are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.