Iraq population pyramid 2026
48,007,437 people in 2026 (projected). Iraq’s pyramid is still broad-based and growing, with a bulge of children born in 2012–16 and a shortage of older men that matches the war years of the 1980s.
- 2026 population
- 48Mrank 33 of 237
- Median age
- 21.1 yearsoldest rank 188
- Fertility rate
- 3.13births per woman · above replacement
- Structure
- Youthful3.5% age 65+
Iraq population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
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The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
Iraq age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 35.4% of the population, while 3.5% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 61.1% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies Iraq’s age structure as youthful; the guide to expansive population pyramids explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 63.7: about 64 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (57.9 children and 5.7 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes Iraq’s population pyramid
High fertility that is falling slowly
Iraq’s total fertility rate peaked at about 7.1 children per woman around 1970 and was still close to five in 2000. It has since fallen to about 3.1, but that is high for Western Asia, and births still outnumber deaths by roughly six to one: about 1.2 million births against 203,000 deaths in 2026. The result is a pyramid whose lowest three bands are its widest, a shape closer to Pakistan or the State of Palestine than to Iraq’s Gulf neighbours. Migration plays a minor role in the totals; cumulative net migration since 1950 has been small beside natural increase.
The base is not perfectly smooth. In 2026 the 10–14 band, born about 2012–16, stands about 9.5% wider than its neighbours, and the 5–9 band below it is narrower. The chart records a cluster of births in those years, but it cannot by itself show whether this reflects a genuine rise in births, smaller cohorts afterwards, or the difficulty of counting births during the conflict years after 2014. The same cohort reappears as a ridge at ages 35–39 in the Iraq 2050 pyramid.
The missing men of the war generations
Life expectancy rose to about 60 by 1970, then fell to about 58 by 1990, a reversal that coincided with the Iran–Iraq war of 1980–88; the 1991 Gulf War and the sanctions period of the 1990s followed. The Iraq 2000 pyramid shows a clear male shortfall from age 30 upward, among men born in the 1950s and 1960s who were of military age during the 1980s. That generation is now aged roughly 55 to 75, and in 2026 there are only about 83 men per 100 women at ages 60–64 and 70 per 100 at 70–74. The difference in life expectancy between the sexes is under four years, so a gap this steep is consistent with a cohort loss rather than ordinary ageing alone; the guide to sex ratios by age explains how both effects build up.
Under the UN medium scenario Iraq grows to about 72 million by 2050 and to about 101 million by 2100, still rising at the end of the century even though fertility is projected to dip below two. That continued growth reflects fertility that stays above replacement for decades, combined with population momentum: the large cohorts now under 15 will themselves become parents.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
No five-year band under age 80 is more than 10% larger or smaller than both of its neighbours, so Iraq’s 2026 pyramid has a comparatively smooth profile without sharp bulges or notches.
In the UN medium scenario births outnumber deaths in every year through 2100. People aged 65 and older are projected to outnumber children under 15 by 2100.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, Iraq is projected to record 1,200,201 births (about one birth every 26 seconds) and 203,068 deaths, a natural increase of 997,133. Net migration adds −13,102 people, ranking #120 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 25,562,375 births, 4,351,973 deaths, and cumulative net migration of +325,146. Over that period the balance of births and deaths moved the total more than migration did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of −400,806 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 74.4 years41.0 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 70.7 years34.3 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 14.7 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 18.0per 1,000 births · 207 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 21.6per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 28.6 yearssex ratio at birth 105.6
Women in Iraq are projected to live 3.7 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 207 to 18.0 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #67 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 28.6 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for Iraq
The median age of 21.1 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 3.13 births per woman is above the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 72.6 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 48,007,437 | #33 | Largest first |
| Median age | 21.1 years | #188 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 3.13 | #50 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | +2.0% | #41 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 72.6 years | #154 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 3.5% | #196 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in Iraq
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10–14 | 5,791,021 | 12.1% | 3M / 2.8M |
| 2 | 0–4 | 5,723,461 | 11.9% | 2.9M / 2.8M |
| 3 | 5–9 | 5,476,940 | 11.4% | 2.8M / 2.7M |
| 4 | 15–19 | 5,100,877 | 10.6% | 2.6M / 2.5M |
| 5 | 20–24 | 4,403,573 | 9.2% | 2.3M / 2.2M |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, Iraq has 24,119,195 males and 23,888,242 females. That is 101.0 males per 100 females, ranking #63 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 50.2% of the population and females for 49.8%. There are 230,953 more males than females overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 69.2 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 105.6 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, close to the biological norm of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How Iraq has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 5,653,350 in 1950 to 48,007,437 in 2026, a change of 749%. Over the same span, median age moved from 20.5 to 21.1 years.
The under-15 share changed from 38.4% to 35.4%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 2.8% to 3.5%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately. See the Iraq population pyramid in 1950 for the full starting shape.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, Iraq’s population is projected to grow by about 50%, reaching 71,928,750 in 2050. The median age changes from 21.1 to 27.8 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 3.9 percentage points to 7.4%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 27.4%. The Iraq population pyramid for 2050 shows the projected shape in detail. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The population is still rising at the end of the UN medium projection in 2100, when it reaches 100,649,056. The page therefore does not assign a peak year beyond the available horizon.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 5,653,350 | 20.5 | 6.20 | 37.4 | 259,351 | 148,846 | +2,965 | +2.0% |
| 1960 | 7,022,052 | 19.4 | 5.30 | 51.5 | 257,730 | 102,079 | +1,573 | +2.2% |
| 1970 | 9,735,610 | 17.0 | 7.07 | 60.5 | 444,359 | 106,330 | +1,377 | +3.5% |
| 1980 | 13,591,992 | 15.3 | 6.59 | 60.9 | 549,918 | 130,266 | +15,757 | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 17,581,206 | 16.0 | 5.93 | 57.6 | 713,606 | 195,036 | −601,469 | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 24,424,056 | 16.9 | 4.92 | 64.9 | 881,887 | 166,114 | +87,624 | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 31,045,366 | 17.9 | 4.46 | 68.1 | 1,074,309 | 167,937 | +92,779 | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 42,116,604 | 19.6 | 3.42 | 69.7 | 1,130,421 | 210,459 | +29,858 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 45,074,049 | 20.3 | 3.25 | 72.3 | 1,159,682 | 186,266 | −5,710 | +2.1% |
| 2024* | 46,042,015 | 20.6 | 3.22 | 72.4 | 1,177,772 | 191,811 | −17,735 | +2.1% |
| 2026* | 48,007,437 | 21.1 | 3.13 | 72.6 | 1,200,201 | 203,068 | −13,102 | +2.0% |
| 2030* | 51,937,208 | 22.1 | 2.97 | 73.1 | 1,251,574 | 227,642 | −29,827 | +1.9% |
| 2040* | 62,223,211 | 25.2 | 2.66 | 74.1 | 1,340,603 | 305,125 | +2,090 | +1.7% |
| 2050* | 71,928,750 | 27.8 | 2.45 | 75.3 | 1,336,660 | 405,877 | −26,107 | +1.3% |
| 2060* | 80,520,191 | 30.2 | 2.27 | 76.5 | 1,340,553 | 516,531 | +16,684 | +1.0% |
| 2070* | 87,995,949 | 32.7 | 2.15 | 77.8 | 1,333,329 | 635,086 | −36,217 | +0.8% |
| 2080* | 93,761,929 | 35.2 | 2.05 | 79.0 | 1,284,310 | 761,156 | −26,322 | +0.5% |
| 2090* | 98,003,974 | 37.3 | 1.97 | 80.3 | 1,241,316 | 880,917 | −46,861 | +0.3% |
| 2100* | 100,649,056 | 39.1 | 1.91 | 81.6 | 1,194,120 | 981,810 | −42,146 | +0.2% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 2,934,113 | 2,789,348 | 5,723,461 | 11.9% |
| 5–9 | 2,806,979 | 2,669,961 | 5,476,940 | 11.4% |
| 10–14 | 2,967,355 | 2,823,666 | 5,791,021 | 12.1% |
| 15–19 | 2,611,661 | 2,489,216 | 5,100,877 | 10.6% |
| 20–24 | 2,250,405 | 2,153,168 | 4,403,573 | 9.2% |
| 25–29 | 2,043,269 | 1,972,628 | 4,015,897 | 8.4% |
| 30–34 | 1,809,916 | 1,764,591 | 3,574,507 | 7.4% |
| 35–39 | 1,513,899 | 1,495,616 | 3,009,515 | 6.3% |
| 40–44 | 1,267,386 | 1,275,310 | 2,542,696 | 5.3% |
| 45–49 | 1,086,274 | 1,108,324 | 2,194,598 | 4.6% |
| 50–54 | 920,000 | 958,826 | 1,878,826 | 3.9% |
| 55–59 | 713,503 | 785,434 | 1,498,937 | 3.1% |
| 60–64 | 506,613 | 608,859 | 1,115,472 | 2.3% |
| 65–69 | 270,247 | 353,498 | 623,745 | 1.3% |
| 70–74 | 219,549 | 311,548 | 531,097 | 1.1% |
| 75–79 | 119,154 | 184,034 | 303,188 | 0.6% |
| 80–84 | 56,597 | 96,453 | 153,050 | 0.3% |
| 85–89 | 18,656 | 37,690 | 56,346 | 0.1% |
| 90–94 | 3,354 | 8,979 | 12,333 | 0.0% |
| 95–99 | 258 | 1,044 | 1,302 | 0.0% |
| 100+ | 8 | 53 | 61 | 0.0% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to Iraq’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Ghana98% overlap · median age 21.6
- Solomon Islands98% overlap · median age 20.9
- Pakistan98% overlap · median age 20.8
- State of Palestine97% overlap · median age 20.3
- Kenya97% overlap · median age 20.3
- Guinea-Bissau97% overlap · median age 19.6
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for Iraq.
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Charts and tables may be reused with attribution. Please link to this page and credit the United Nations as the data source.
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APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). Iraq Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/iraq/
MLA
“Iraq Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/iraq/.
Chicago
World Population Pyramid. “Iraq Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/iraq/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Iraq in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, Iraq's population in 2026 is projected at 48,007,437.
What is the median age in Iraq?
The projected median age in Iraq in 2026 is 21.1 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in Iraq?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 3.13 births per woman, above the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is Iraq's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will grow by about 50%, from 48M to 71.9M.
What share of Iraq is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 3.5% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 7.4%.
How many babies are born in Iraq each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 1,200,201 births and 203,068 deaths in 2026, about one birth every 26 seconds. Births exceed deaths by 997,133.
What is life expectancy in Iraq for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 74.4 years for women and 70.7 years for men, a gap of 3.7 years in favour of women.
Does Iraq have more immigrants or emigrants?
Iraq is projected to lose about 13,102 more people through emigration than it gains in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of +325,146.
What is the sex ratio in Iraq?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 101.0 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.