Demographics of Iraq

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Distribution of Religious and Ethnic Groups in Iraq
Distribution of Religious and Ethnic Groups in Iraq

Iraq was known in the west as Mesopotamia until the 20th century. The ruins of Ur, Babylon, and other ancient cities are here, as is the legendary location of the Garden of Eden. Almost 75% of Iraq's population lives in the flat, alluvial plain stretching southeast from Baghdad to Basra and the Persian Gulf. The Tigris River and the Euphrates River carry about 70 million cubic meters of silt annually from this plain down to the delta. The water from these two great rivers, and the fertility of the soil in the alluvial plain and the delta, allowed early agriculture to sustain a stable population as far back as the 4th millennium BC.

Further information: Geography of Iraq

Over its long history, many civilizations grew and flourished in the region. Following the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq was formed by the League of Nations from three Ottoman vilayets (regions), gaining independence in 1932.

Further information: History of Iraq

Iraqis today are an overall indigenous Mesopotamian people, who are closely related to the indigenous ancient people, much like the case with the people of the Levant. While modern-day Iraqis are commonly described as Arabs by virtue of their modern-day language and bonds to Arab culture and history — they are in fact largely a blend of the various Aramaic speaking groups indigenous to the region, as well as other groups like the Kurds and Turks, Muslim Arabs from Arabia arrived and controlled following the Arab expansion

Iraq's ethnic groups are Arabs, Kurds, Iraqi Turkmen and Assyrians. Other distinct groups are Armenians, Persians, Shabaks and Lurs. Arabic is the most commonly spoken language. Kurdish and Syriac are spoken in the north, and English is the most commonly spoken Western language. [1]

Shia Muslim is the predominant religion, while there's also Sunni muslim and Christianity. Small communities of Jews, Bahá'ís, Mandaeans, and Yezidis also exist, although most Jews have fled Iraq over the last century. Most Kurds are Sunni Muslim, with about 10% being Shi'a Faili Kurds in central Iraq.

Kurds & Assyrians differ from their Arab neighbors in language, dress, and customs.

Population: 26,783,383 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 39.7% (male 5,398,645; female 5,231,760)
15-64 years: 57.3% (male 7,776,257; female 7,576,726)
65 years and over: 3% (male 376,700; female 423,295) (2006 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.66% (2006 est.)

Birth rate: 31.45 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate: 5.37 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 48.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.01 years
male: 67.76 years
female: 70.31 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.18 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Iraqi(s)
adjective: Iraqi

Ethnic groups: Arabs 75-80%, Kurds 15%-20%, Assyrian, Iraqi Turkmen or other 5-10%

Religions: Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian 3% down from 7% 50 years ago. According to Minority Rights Group Report (ISBN 1-904584-60-8, www.minorityrights.org), there were 2005 ca 20 Jews in Bagdad, most of them ca 70 years old.

Languages: Arabic, Kurdish,Turkish,Aramaic; Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, Chaldean Neo-Aramaic, and Armenian

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 40.4%
male: 55.9%
female: 24.4% (2003 est.)

Median Age:
Total Population: 19.7 years
Male: 19.6 years
Female: 19.8 years (2006 est.)

Contents

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Linguist List - Show languages in a Country

[edit] External links

[edit] Bibliography

  • Nakash, Yitzhak (2003). The Shi'is of Iraq. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-11575-3. 
  • Jabar, Faleh A. (2004). The Shi'ite Movement in Iraq. Saqi Books. ISBN 0-86356-395-3. 
v • d • e
Demographics of Asia
1 Transcontinental country.  2 Only recognised by Turkey.  3 Not fully independent.
v • d • e
Ethnic groups in Asia
1 Transcontinental country.  2 Only recognised by Turkey.  3 Not fully independent.