Share of population living in urban areas in Iraq
Iraq: Share of population living in urban areas was 87.5% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban areas in Iraq, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Iraq recorded 87.5% for share of population living in urban areas 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 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 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% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 87.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 74.7%, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 87.5% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 88.0%, 99% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
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
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 areas in Iraq?
- Share of population living in urban 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 areas recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 87.5% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 58.0% in 1950.
- How does Iraq rank for share of population living in urban areas?
- Iraq ranks 40th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban 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 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.