Iraq's two largest ethnic groups are Arabs and Kurds. Other distinct groups are Turkomans, Assyrians, Iranians, Lurs, and Armenians. Arabic is the most commonly spoken language. Kurdish is spoken in the north, and English is the most commonly spoken Western language.
Most Iraqi Muslims are members of the Shiitess (Shi'a), but there is a large Sunni Muslim population as well, made up of both Arabs and Kurds. Small communities of Christians, Jews, Bahais, Mandaeans, and Yezidis also exist. Most Kurds are Sunni Muslim but differ from their Arab neighbors in language, dress, and customs.
Population: 22,675,617 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years:
42% (male 4,860,795; female 4,708,453)
15-64 years:
55% (male 6,272,842; female 6,123,188)
65 years and over:
3% (male 331,840; female 378,499) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.86% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 35.04 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.88 male(s)/female
total population:
1.02 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 62.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
66.53 years
male:
65.54 years
female:
67.56 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.87 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Iraqi(s)
adjective:
Iraqi
Ethnic groups: Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian or other 5%
Religions: Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%
Languages: Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian
Literacy:
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
58%
male:
70.7%
female:
45% (1995 est.)
Appearance: men usually have a moustache; a well-known man who is an exception is Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf.
Search Encyclopedia
|
Featured Article
|