Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Iraq
Iraq: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 87.5% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban 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
The most recent figure for share of population living in urban and rural areas in Iraq is 87.5%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 3.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Iraq peaked at 87.5% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 58.0%, in 1950.
Iraq ranks 40th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Iraq, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 58.0% | — |
| 1955 | 60.5% | +4.2% |
| 1960 | 62.4% | +3.1% |
| 1965 | 65.5% | +5.0% |
| 1970 | 68.9% | +5.3% |
| 1975 | 72.2% | +4.7% |
| 1980 | 73.4% | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 74.7% | +1.8% |
| 1990 | 75.6% | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 78.4% | +3.6% |
| 2000 | 80.7% | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 83.0% | +2.9% |
| 2010 | 84.5% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 86.3% | +2.2% |
| 2020 | 87.5% | +1.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 59.2% | 58.0% | 60.5% | 2 |
| 1960s | 63.9% | 62.4% | 65.5% | 2 |
| 1970s | 70.6% | 68.9% | 72.2% | 2 |
| 1980s | 74.0% | 73.4% | 74.7% | 2 |
| 1990s | 77.0% | 75.6% | 78.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 81.9% | 80.7% | 83.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 85.4% | 84.5% | 86.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 87.5% | 87.5% | 87.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
- 37 Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of 88.5% compare
- 38 Réunion 88.3% compare
- 39 Pakistan 88.0% compare
- 41 Trinidad and Tobago 87.4% compare
- 42 Saint Barthelemy 87.2% compare
- 43 Viet Nam 86.9% 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 share of population living in urban and rural areas in Iraq?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Iraq was 87.5% 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 urban and rural areas recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 87.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.0% in 1950.
- How does Iraq rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Iraq ranks 40th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.6%. 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 urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.