Iraq is an oil-rich, upper-middle-income country, but poverty is widespread, with around 30% of Iraqis living below the national poverty line due to decades of conflict, political instability, corruption, and climate change impacts, leading to poor infrastructure, high youth unemployment, and severe basic service deficits like water and electricity despite oil wealth.
South Sudan is widely considered the poorest country in the world in 2025-2026, consistently ranking first due to extremely low GDP per capita and a high percentage (over 80%) of its population living in extreme poverty, driven by prolonged civil conflict, displacement, and disruption of its agricultural economy. Other nations frequently cited as among the poorest include Burundi, the Central African Republic, and Yemen, also suffering from conflict and instability.
The security situation in Iraq is extremely dangerous and there is a high threat of terrorist attacks.
Iraq has a score of 3.51 of ten on the 2021 The Economist Democracy Index, which is considered authoritarian. Iraq scored 0.362 on the V-Dem Electoral Democracy Index in 2023, ranking 3rd in the Middle East and 115th worldwide.
1. Qatar. At number one is Qatar, which leads in per capita prosperity in the Arab world. In the IMF's World Economic Outlook mapping (April 2025), Qatar's GDP per capita (PPP) is USD 121,610 (121.61 thousand).
Today, the United States and Iraq both consider themselves as strategic partners, given the American political and military involvement after the invasion of Iraq and their mutual, deep-rooted relationship that followed.
Rural girls are one of the groups with the lowest access to education in Iraq. For example, the lowest rate of primary school enrollment is among rural girls.
Do not travel to Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, due to the volatile security situation and the threat of terrorism, armed conflict, kidnapping and violent crime. We continue to advise do not travel to Iraq due to the volatile security environment and the threat of kidnapping.
In October 2022, the Council of Representatives elected Abdul Latif Rashid as president, and Mohammed Shia al-Sudani became Prime Minister.
Iraq is the birthplace of many significant historical achievements that affect life around the world today, from the earliest known writing system and innovations in irrigation to important agricultural developments like the first wheel and the first seed plow to significant scientific achievements like the division of ...
No, Iraq is not in a declared state of war, but it's not fully at peace either; major combat operations ended years ago, but low-intensity conflict persists through ISIS insurgency and ongoing instability, while the US military transitions out of combat roles to a security partnership by 2026, marking a shift towards development and stability, though rebuilding continues.
Those wanting to move to Iraq must obtain a visa before traveling. This can be done at your nearest Iraqi mission if you are abroad, or at your country's Iraqi Embassy. The Kurdistan region is slightly different, and a visa on arrival is possible, although this cannot be used for the rest of Iraq.
The richest country by GDP (PPP) per capita is often cited as Singapore, followed closely by Luxembourg, depending on the specific report and year, with Singapore leading in 2025 estimates with around $156,000-$157,000 per person, while Luxembourg is a strong contender just below that, highlighting small, finance-heavy economies as wealthiest per person.
The RCC decree of November 26, 1975 permits those Iraqi Jews who emigrated after 1948 to return to Baghdad and enjoy the rights of Iraqi citizenship.
Followers of all religions are, according to the constitution, free to practice religious rites and manage religious endowment affairs and institutions. The constitution guarantees freedom from religious coercion and states all citizens are equal before the law without regard to religion, sect, or belief.
Iraq, country of southwestern Asia. During ancient times, lands that now constitute Iraq were known as Mesopotamia (“Land Between the Rivers”), a region whose extensive alluvial plains gave rise to some of the world's earliest civilizations, including those of Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, and Assyria.
Iraqi Education is strictly controlled by the national Iraqi government, through the Iraqi Ministry of Education. This public state education is provided free, from Primary School, all the way to Doctoral degrees.
Education Rankings by Country 2026
In 2016, there were fewer than thirty cardiac surgeons left in the country. As of the year 2020, there are 372 hospitals with 53,802 beds in Iraq. The public health care system in Iraq is free and has been free for decades.
Iran has close ties with Lebanon and considers it an ally. Iran also has close ties with the Lebanese political party Hezbollah and its militia force to whom it reportedly provides as much as $100 million in supplies and weaponry per year. Iran has been a staunch supporter of both Lebanon and Hezbollah against Israel.
In the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Saddam Hussein launched an invasion of Iran over border disputes and a desire to gain control of oil-rich areas in Iran's territory. The conflict lasted for eight years and ended in a stalemate. Iran later opposed the American-led coalition against Iraq in 1991.
The coalition officially concluded its combat mission in Iraq in December 2021, but U.S. troops remain in Iraq to advise, train, and assist ISF against the ongoing ISIL insurgency, including providing air support and military aid.