Population, GDP, natural resources, leaders and history of Iraq: the Magna Factbook country file, with its Magna grade (MCB, ranked #78 of 195).
Iraq — in Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait. Political status: federal parliamentary republic. The country's capital is Baghdad; it covers 438,317 sq km. Independence: 3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration). Terrain: mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey. Climate: mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and so…
| Capital | Baghdad |
|---|---|
| Population | 42,917,742 (2025 est.) |
| GDP (PPP) | $585.887 billion (2024 est.) |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $12,700 (2024 est.) |
| Real GDP growth | -1.5% (2024 est.) |
| Inflation | 4.4% |
| Unemployment | 15.6% |
| Public debt | 27.4% of GDP (2018 est.) |
| Exports | $107.852 billion (2023 est.) |
| Imports | $81.179 billion (2023 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 73.7 years (2024 est.) |
| Median age | 22.7 |
| Urbanization | 71.6% of total population (2023) |
| Government | federal parliamentary republic |
| Independence | 3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration) |
| Languages | Arabic (official), Kurdish (official); Turkmen (a Turkish dialect) and Syriac (Neo-Aramaic) are recognized as official languages where native speakers of these languages are present |
MCB · 51/100 — The Magna grade is our 0–100 composite of structural national power — five dimensions, 100+ indicators. It is the Bureau's own assessment, not a mirror of World Bank or CIA figures.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
A quiet quarter: no major shocks, no breakthroughs. The country's trajectory is set by structural forces larger than any single season.
The honest reading is steadiness — neither crisis nor windfall — with the long currents of demography, trade and institutions deciding more than any three months.
Oil, Natural gas, Phosphates, Sulfur.
Ali al-Zaidi — Prime Minister. President Latif RASHID (since 13 October 2022)
Iraq maintains 59 embassies and 34 consulates abroad, hosts 58 foreign diplomatic missions. The breadth of a diplomatic network is a direct measure of diplomatic power — it shows how far a country’s influence, alliances and interests reach.
| Embassies abroad | 59 |
|---|---|
| Consulates abroad | 34 |
| Foreign missions hosted | 58 |
Source: Outbound: Consular Affairs Center (Yonsei Univ.), diplomatic & consular networks database, January 2026 report (Zenodo). Hosted: Wikipedia 'List of diplomatic missions in Iraq' as quoted in search results (58 embassies in Baghdad).
Transport networks are economic power made physical — ports, runways, railways and pipelines decide what a country can move, sell and defend.
| Sea access | Coastal — 58 km of coastline. |
|---|---|
| Airports (total) | 73 + 10 heliports (registration prefix YI) |
| Major seaports | Al Basrah, Al-Basra Oil Terminal, Khawr Al Amaya, Khawr Al Zubair, Umm Qasr |
| Railways | 2272 km |
Al Najaf International Airport (NJF) — Najaf; Baghdad International Airport / New Al Muthana Air Base (BGW) — Baghdad; Basra International Airport (BSR) — Basra; Erbil International Airport (EBL) — Arbil; Kirkuk International Airport (KIK) — Kirkuk; Mosul International Airport (OSM) — Mosul; Jalal Talabani International Airport (ISU) — Sulaymaniyah.
Sources: OurAirports public-domain extract (2026-10-02); per-entry Wikipedia links included; CIA World Factbook via cia_factbook snapshot (2026-09-28)
| Political system | federal parliamentary republic |
|---|---|
| Next election | No election currently scheduled. |
MCB · 51 Ranked #78 of 195 countries in the Magna Country Rankings. Full ranking breakdown for Iraq.
