Author: Heydar Alkhafaji
Rapid demographic growth coupled with a population explosion are important issues facing many countries, not least Iraq. Rapid population growth poses a challenge to a country’s economy and sustainable development and can comprehensively impact living standards as well as economic resources. In general, future population growth depends on many complex and interrelated factors, including demography, public policy, the economy, culture and social development.
If not managed effectively, Iraq’s high population growth rates will, it is believed, lead to significant pressures on the economy and the country’s natural resources. Iraq depends heavily on its oil revenues to finance its expenditure and over the past decade, oil revenues have accounted for more than 99 percent of exports, 85 percent of the government’s budget and 42 percent of GDP.
According to the annual statistical survey conducted by the Ministry of Planning last year, in 2023, Iraq’s population was estimated at 43 million and 324 thousand people, indicating that the annual population growth rate stood at 2.5%.
According to these statistics, out of the total population, the percentage of males amounted to 50.5% and that of females 49.5%. The results also indicated that the percentage of the population under 15 years of age was approximately 40%; whilst 75% of the population were aged between 15 and 64 years and young people within the age group 15-24 years accounted for 28% of the population.
Approximately 50% of Iraq’s population is concentrated within the governorates of Baghdad, Nineveh, Basra and Dhi Qar. The urban population constituted 70% of the total with the remaining 30% living in rural areas. It was also observed that there was a significant improvement in the health of infants and children under five years of age, reflected by the decline in mortality rates within this category to less than 20 deaths per 100 thousand live births. This also reflected positively on an improvement in the average life expectancy which rose to 74 years.