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E.g., 09/29/2023
Country Resource - Iraq
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Iraq

IQ
  • Population......................................................................................... 40,462,701 (2022 est.)
  • Population growth rate ..................................................................................... 2% (2022 est.)
  • Birth rate...................................................................... 24.7 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
  • Death rate.................................................................... 3.9 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)
  • Net migration rate................................................ -0.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)
  • Ethnic groups*................................................ Arab 75-80%, Kurdish 15-20%, other 5% (includes Turkmen, Yezidi, Shabak, Kaka'i, Bedouin, Romani, Assyrian, Circassian, Sabaean-Mandaean, Persian)

* Data is a 1987 government estimate; no more recent reliable numbers are available

​CIA World Factbook

Recent Activity

Mother and daughter from Middle Eastern background
Spotlight
January 13, 2022
Middle Eastern and North African Immigrants in the United States

Migration from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to the United States doubled between 2000 and 2019, yet these immigrants represented less than 3 percent of the overall U.S. foreign-born population as of 2019. MENA immigrants are more likely than other immigrants to be English proficient, have a college degree, and work in management, business, science, and arts occupations.

A family from Syria walks through the town of Wächtersbach, Germany, where they now live.
Feature
January 7, 2021
Faith and Mental Health Help Shape the Integration of Muslim Refugees in Germany

Faith plays a significant role in the mental health and social integration of refugees and asylum seekers. Yet in Germany, concerns about Islam and migrants from Muslim-majority countries have complicated social cohesion efforts, particularly in the wake of the 2015-16 refugee and migration crisis.

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Spotlight
January 10, 2018
Middle Eastern and North African Immigrants in the United States

In 2016, nearly 1.2 million immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region lived in the United States. MENA immigration has picked up in recent decades, owing to war and worsening economic prospects. This article offers the latest data on the MENA population in the United States, which is more likely to come via humanitarian routes and less likely via family reunification than the foreign-born population overall.

 

Cover Top10 2Displacement
Top Ten
December 17, 2015
Displacement Reaches Record High as Wars Continue and New Conflicts Emerge

Global displacement reached a new high with nearly 60 million people worldwide displaced internally or externally in the greatest number since record-keeping began. The trend continued in 2015 as conflicts in places such as Central African Republic, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen drove millions of people to leave their homes and seek refuge in other communities or across borders.

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Spotlight
June 3, 2015
Middle Eastern and North African Immigrants in the United States

Immigration to the United States from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has increased in recent years, rising to a total population of 1.02 million in 2013. Immigrants from the region come from a diverse range of countries and cultures. This data Spotlight delves into the variations among MENA groups on key socioeconomic indicators, from geographic distribution and language proficiency to employment, immigration pathways, and naturalization.

Cover Top10 1Refugees UNHCR
Top Ten
December 18, 2014
World Confronts Largest Humanitarian Crisis since WWII

The number of people around the world forcibly displaced by conflict or persecution reached its highest total since World War II, with more than 51.2 million fleeing their country or displaced within it, the UN refugee agency reported in 2014. An estimated 13.6 million people have been displaced by conflicts in Syria and Iraq alone, constituting what the UN High Commissioner for Refugees dubbed a mega-crisis.

The ruins of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul’s Old Town
Top Ten
December 11, 2014
Governments Fear Return and Intentions of Radicalized Citizens Fighting Abroad

Increasing numbers of Westerners heading to Syria and Iraq to join jihadist organizations like ISIS have governments concerned about possible attacks at home by returning fighters. Several thousand fighters from Europe and other Western countries are believed among the foreign nationals involved in conflicts in Syria and Iraq. Lawmakers scrambled in 2014 to respond with new policies, including seizing passports, stripping citizenship, and criminalizing travel to "no go" zones.

Feature
November 1, 2013
Responding to the Syrian Refugee Crisis: A Conversation with T. Alexander Aleinikoff, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees

United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees T. Alexander Aleinikoff talks to MPI about the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis and the role of UNHCR in assisting countries that have taken in large numbers of Syrian refugees. One looming concern: how will UNHCR and other actors change their refugee crisis-response models and mechanisms to adapt to this and future emergencies?

Top Ten
December 4, 2008
Struggles of Iraqi Refugees Continue

An estimated 4.7 million Iraqis remain displaced either internally or in neighboring countries, and Iraq is still the leading source of asylum applicants worldwide.

Top Ten
December 3, 2007
Iraqi Refugees: Diminished Options and Little U.S. Support

Daily news reports frequently show the latest violence in Iraq, but it was not until 2007 that the stories of displaced Iraqis — and their fast-growing numbers — became more desperate and more widely known.

Pages
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Reports
March 2021

A Bridge to Firmer Ground: Learning from International Experiences to Support Pathways to Solutions in the Syrian Refugee Context

Ten years into Syria's conflict, Syrians remain the largest refugee population worldwide. As they face limited prospects for resettlement or safe return, how can host countries and donors promote resilience for refugees and host communities alike? This report offers examples of creative policy solutions in the areas of protection, social protection, education, livelihoods, and health care from displacement contexts in 16 countries.

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Reports
October 2015

The Educational and Mental Health Needs of Syrian Refugee Children

Approximately 40 percent of the 4 million-plus Syrians who have fled the country are under age 12, most encountering disruptions and barriers to their education in countries of first asylum. This report examines the experiences of Syrian refugee children, their educational and mental health needs,and possible responses that governments should consider in resettling this vulnerable population.

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Reports
January 2008

The Iraqi Refugee Crisis: The Need for Action

The situation in Iraq remains extremely precarious for civilians, with additional thousands being displaced by violence and persecution even as refuge becomes harder to find – either internally or in neighboring countries. This report looks at the refugee situation in the country.

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Reports
December 2003

Notes from the Field: MPI Expert Returns from Iraqi Border

Although the number of refugees displaced from the conflict in Iraq was significantly fewer than expected, the war produced some 260,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the North. Recent reports indicate that despite the threat of inter-ethnic retaliatory violence, many of these IDPs are now returning home.
Cover image for Embedding Reintegration Assistance...
Policy Briefs
June 2022

Embedding Reintegration Assistance for Returning Migrants in the Local Context: The Role of Referrals

Although European programs to support returning migrants’ reintegration into the communities where they settle have expanded and improved in recent years, returning—at times after years away—is never easy. This policy brief looks at how reintegration programs can adapt the assistance they provide to the local context and connect returnees with longer-term support through referrals, and what it takes to make these referrals successful.

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Policy Briefs
April 2003

Reconciling Refugee Protection and Security Concerns in Wartime: The Case of Iraq

Amidst heightened security concerns in the post-9/11 world, this policy brief examines international responses to the Iraqi refugee situation and explores various tools that can effectively allow states to reconcile security efforts with the continued commitment to international protection.

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Policy Briefs
February 2003

Refugees from the War in Iraq: What Happened in 1991 and What May Happen in 2003

This policy brief reviews what happened in the 1991 Gulf War and presents possible scenarios and factors affecting movements of refugees and internally displaced persons in Iraq. Focusing primarily on four potential scenarios, the author evaluates the relative likelihood of each scenario and implications each would have for refugees and IDPs.