Number of children under 5 in Iraq
Iraq: Number of children under 5 was 5.56 million people in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
5.56 million people
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
27th
of 236 countries
All-time high
5.83 million people
in 2016
All-time low
885,292 people
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Number of children under 5 in Iraq, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2023, number of children under 5 in Iraq stood at 5.56 million people.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of children under 5 in Iraq peaked at 5.83 million people in 2016 and was at its lowest, 885,292 people, in 1950.
That places Iraq 27th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number of children under 5 in Iraq, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 885,292 people | — |
| 1951 | 911,378 people | +2.9% |
| 1952 | 955,992 people | +4.9% |
| 1953 | 1.01 million people | +5.3% |
| 1954 | 1.05 million people | +4.7% |
| 1955 | 1.09 million people | +3.2% |
| 1956 | 1.11 million people | +1.6% |
| 1957 | 1.09 million people | -1.3% |
| 1958 | 1.05 million people | -4.0% |
| 1959 | 1.02 million people | -2.8% |
| 1960 | 1.01 million people | -0.4% |
| 1961 | 1.03 million people | +1.9% |
| 1962 | 1.11 million people | +7.8% |
| 1963 | 1.24 million people | +11.6% |
| 1964 | 1.37 million people | +9.8% |
| 1965 | 1.48 million people | +8.5% |
| 1966 | 1.59 million people | +7.4% |
| 1967 | 1.67 million people | +4.9% |
| 1968 | 1.73 million people | +3.4% |
| 1969 | 1.79 million people | +3.5% |
| 1970 | 1.85 million people | +3.5% |
| 1971 | 1.91 million people | +3.5% |
| 1972 | 1.98 million people | +3.4% |
| 1973 | 2.05 million people | +3.3% |
| 1974 | 2.11 million people | +3.1% |
| 1975 | 2.17 million people | +2.9% |
| 1976 | 2.23 million people | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 2.28 million people | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 2.34 million people | +2.5% |
| 1979 | 2.39 million people | +2.2% |
| 1980 | 2.44 million people | +2.2% |
| 1981 | 2.50 million people | +2.2% |
| 1982 | 2.55 million people | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 2.61 million people | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 2.68 million people | +2.7% |
| 1985 | 2.74 million people | +2.0% |
| 1986 | 2.80 million people | +2.1% |
| 1987 | 2.86 million people | +2.4% |
| 1988 | 2.92 million people | +2.1% |
| 1989 | 3.00 million people | +2.5% |
| 1990 | 3.03 million people | +1.1% |
| 1991 | 3.07 million people | +1.2% |
| 1992 | 3.17 million people | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 3.34 million people | +5.2% |
| 1994 | 3.50 million people | +4.9% |
| 1995 | 3.60 million people | +3.0% |
| 1996 | 3.69 million people | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 3.77 million people | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 3.86 million people | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 3.95 million people | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 4.04 million people | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 4.13 million people | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 4.22 million people | +2.1% |
| 2003 | 4.30 million people | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 4.37 million people | +1.7% |
| 2005 | 4.45 million people | +1.9% |
| 2006 | 4.45 million people | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 4.39 million people | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 4.47 million people | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 4.62 million people | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 4.78 million people | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 4.98 million people | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 5.24 million people | +5.4% |
| 2013 | 5.53 million people | +5.3% |
| 2014 | 5.72 million people | +3.6% |
| 2015 | 5.83 million people | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 5.83 million people | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 5.76 million people | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 5.66 million people | -1.6% |
| 2019 | 5.57 million people | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 5.51 million people | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 5.49 million people | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 5.51 million people | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 5.56 million people | +0.8% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 5.56 million people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 447,677 people, 12.4× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 5.56 million people is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 901,969 people, 6.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.02 million people | 885,292 people | 1.11 million people | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.40 million people | 1.01 million people | 1.79 million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 2.13 million people | 1.85 million people | 2.39 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.71 million people | 2.44 million people | 3.00 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.50 million people | 3.03 million people | 3.95 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.34 million people | 4.04 million people | 4.62 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.49 million people | 4.78 million people | 5.83 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.52 million people | 5.49 million people | 5.56 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
- 24 South Africa 5.89 million people compare
- 25 Turkey 5.75 million people compare
- 26 Mozambique 5.67 million people compare
- 28 Algeria 4.75 million people compare
- 29 Niger 4.67 million people compare
- 30 Cote d'Ivoire 4.59 million people compare
More reference data data for Iraq
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2116 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3911 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 7.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7096 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.235 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 13.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 30.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.13 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of children under 5 in Iraq?
- Number of children under 5 in Iraq was 5.56 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of children under 5 recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 5.83 million people in 2016.
- What is the lowest number of children under 5 recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 885,292 people in 1950.
- How does Iraq rank for number of children under 5?
- Iraq ranks 27th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of children under 5 rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Number of children under 5. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-4.