WESTERN ASIA

Iraq

Baghdad · pop. 46M · Arabic, Aramaic, Sorani · Iraqi dinar

Trajectories

economic complexity

#130

Slipping in export sophistication, from #75 in 1995.

2024 · −1.46

Harvard Growth Lab · thin line is the world’s median

the numbers30

when	value	change
1995	−0.05
1996high	0.75	+0.79 pts
1997	−0.53	−1.27 pts
1998	−0.31	+0.22 pts
1999	−0.75	−0.44 pts
2000	−0.90	−0.15 pts
2001	−1.22	−0.33 pts
2002	−1.30	−0.08 pts
2003	−0.94	+0.36 pts
2004	−0.36	+0.58 pts
2005	−0.98	−0.62 pts
2006	−1.49	−0.51 pts
2007	−2.15	−0.66 pts
2008	−1.82	+0.32 pts
2009	−0.57	+1.25 pts
2010	−2.04	−1.47 pts
2011	−1.59	+0.46 pts
2012	−2.12	−0.53 pts
2013	−2.08	+0.04 pts
2014low	−2.48	−0.41 pts
2015	−2.27	+0.21 pts
2016	−2.39	−0.12 pts
2017	−2.01	+0.38 pts
2018	−1.61	+0.40 pts
2019	−1.66	−0.04 pts
2020	−0.91	+0.75 pts
2021	−1.03	−0.12 pts
2022	−1.31	−0.28 pts
2023	−1.46	−0.15 pts
2024latest	−1.46	0 pts

economic momentum

$6,074

Tripled since 2000. GDP per head in 2024, in current US dollars.

2024 · $6,074

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median

the numbers35

when	value	change
1990high	$10.3K
1991low	$23	−99.8%
1992	$30	+31.8%
1993	$54	+77.6%
1994	$198	+268.8%
1995	$619	+212.4%
1996	$485	−21.6%
1997	$936	+93.0%
1998	$901	−3.8%
1999	$1,560	+73.2%
2000	$1,980	+26.9%
2001	$1,436	−27.5%
2002	$1,266	−11.8%
2003	$818	−35.4%
2004	$1,328	+62.4%
2005	$1,762	+32.7%
2006	$2,277	+29.2%
2007	$3,129	+37.4%
2008	$4,543	+45.2%
2009	$3,715	−18.2%
2010	$4,462	+20.1%
2011	$5,776	+29.4%
2012	$6,478	+12.2%
2013	$6,650	+2.7%
2014	$6,249	−6.0%
2015	$4,440	−29.0%
2016	$4,334	−2.4%
2017	$4,759	+9.8%
2018	$5,647	+18.6%
2019	$5,672	+0.4%
2020	$4,295	−24.3%
2021	$4,868	+13.3%
2022	$6,521	+33.9%
2023	$5,965	−8.5%
2024latest	$6,074	+1.8%

prices

−12.3%

A year’s rise in consumer prices, in 2024. The world’s median was 3.1%.

2024 · −12.3%

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median

the numbers34

when	value	change
1991	181%
1992	83.6%	−97.3 pts
1993	208%	+124 pts
1994high	448%	+241 pts
1995	387%	−61.2 pts
1996low	−16.1%	−403 pts
1997	23.1%	+39.2 pts
1998	14.8%	−8.29 pts
1999	12.6%	−2.19 pts
2000	5.0%	−7.60 pts
2001	16.4%	+11.4 pts
2002	19.3%	+2.94 pts
2003	33.6%	+14.3 pts
2004	27.0%	−6.65 pts
2005	37.0%	+10.00 pts
2006	53.2%	+16.3 pts
2007	−10.1%	−63.3 pts
2008	12.7%	+22.7 pts
2009	6.9%	−5.79 pts
2010	2.9%	−4.00 pts
2011	5.8%	+2.92 pts
2012	6.1%	+0.29 pts
2013	1.9%	−4.21 pts
2014	2.2%	+0.36 pts
2015	1.4%	−0.84 pts
2016	0.6%	−0.84 pts
2017	0.2%	−0.37 pts
2018	0.4%	+0.18 pts
2019	−0.2%	−0.57 pts
2020	0.6%	+0.77 pts
2021	6.0%	+5.47 pts
2022	5.0%	−1.05 pts
2023	4.4%	−0.64 pts
2024latest	−12.3%	−16.7 pts

demographic curve

3.2 children per woman

Above replacement: still growing. Fell from 6.6 in 1980.

2024 · 3.2

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median · rule marks replacement (2.1)

the numbers65

when	value	change
1960	5.3
1961	5.8	+9.4%
1962	7.0	+20.5%
1963	7.0	+0.2%
1964	7.0	+0.1%
1965	7.0	+0.1%
1966	7.0	0.0%
1967	7.0	+0.1%
1968	7.1	+0.4%
1969high	7.1	+0.4%
1970	7.1	−0.2%
1971	7.1	−0.2%
1972	7.0	−0.4%
1973	7.0	−0.5%
1974	7.0	−0.5%
1975	6.9	−0.6%
1976	6.9	−0.8%
1977	6.8	−0.9%
1978	6.7	−1.0%
1979	6.7	−1.0%
1980	6.6	−1.0%
1981	6.5	−1.0%
1982	6.5	−1.0%
1983	6.4	−1.1%
1984	6.3	−1.0%
1985	6.2	−1.2%
1986	6.2	−1.0%
1987	6.1	−1.1%
1988	6.1	−1.0%
1989	6.0	−1.1%
1990	5.9	−1.0%
1991	5.8	−1.6%
1992	5.7	−2.0%
1993	5.6	−1.9%
1994	5.5	−2.2%
1995	5.4	−2.3%
1996	5.2	−2.1%
1997	5.2	−1.0%
1998	5.1	−1.6%
1999	5.0	−1.5%
2000	4.9	−2.3%
2001	4.8	−2.5%
2002	4.7	−2.7%
2003	4.6	−1.9%
2004	4.5	−1.2%
2005	4.4	−1.8%
2006	4.5	+0.3%
2007	4.4	−1.2%
2008	4.4	−0.7%
2009	4.4	+0.1%
2010	4.5	+1.8%
2011	4.6	+2.9%
2012	4.5	−1.0%
2013	4.4	−2.3%
2014	4.3	−2.9%
2015	4.1	−5.3%
2016	3.8	−5.8%
2017	3.6	−5.3%
2018	3.5	−2.6%
2019	3.5	−1.9%
2020	3.4	−1.8%
2021	3.4	−1.8%
2022	3.3	−1.9%
2023	3.2	−1.4%
2024latest	3.2	−0.9%

Metrics

population

46M

34 of 176

REST Countries · UN data
gdp

$269B

48 of 170

World Bank · latest available
gdp per capita

$5,965

90 of 170

World Bank · latest available
military spending

$6B

36 of 151

SIPRI via World Bank
military % of gdp

2.3%

40 of 148

SIPRI via World Bank
area

438K km²

60 of 176

REST Countries
population density

105 /km²

60 of 176

zuhd — derived from population and area
life expectancy

72.3 yr

100 of 175

World Bank · latest available
internet access

82%

81 of 166

ITU via World Bank
co₂ per capita

5.2 t

44 of 163

World Bank · Climate Watch
urbanisation

70%

64 of 168

World Bank · UN DESA
fertility rate

3.2

44 of 168

World Bank · UN DESA
foreign-born share

0.8%

133 of 167

World Bank · UN DESA
remittances % of gdp

0.2%

131 of 155

World Bank · IMF BOP
r&d % of gdp

0.0%

118 of 123

UNESCO UIS via World Bank
researchers per million

164

87 of 118

UNESCO UIS via World Bank
scientific articles / yr

13K

37 of 168

NSF / World Bank
gini inequality

29.8

26 of 139

World Bank · PovcalNet
youth unemployment

32%

151 of 166

ILO via World Bank
adult literacy

84%

67 of 109

UNESCO UIS via World Bank
democracy (v-dem)

0.22

98 of 163

V-Dem via Our World in Data
clean government

26

126 of 164

Transparency International via Our World in Data
press freedom

55.6

147 of 163

RSF via Our World in Data
human development

0.695

104 of 164

UNDP via Our World in Data
refugees hosted

318K

23 of 150

UNHCR via Our World in Data
refugees produced

305K

14 of 152

UNHCR via Our World in Data