Shafaq News / The Ministry of Planning revealed its estimates for the population of Iraq in 2023, stating that the population has reached 43 million. Baghdad emerged as the most populous city based on the annual demographic projections.

Abdul Zahra Al-Hindawi, the ministry's official spokesperson, told Shafaq News agency that "Iraq's population for 2023 has reached 43 million," highlighting that "Baghdad is the most populous, with nine million inhabitants, representing 23% of the population compared to other governorates."

Al-Hindawi added that "Mosul ranks second in population size with four million inhabitants, followed by Basra in third place with an estimated population of three million. The governorate with the lowest population is Al-Muthanna, with an estimated population ranging between 950,000 to one million."

He noted that "the male population in Iraq slightly outweighs the female population, with males accounting for 50.5% and females 49.5%."

Regarding population growth, he explained that "Iraq's population growth rate is 2.5% annually, a decrease from over 3% ten years ago. However, there is a cumulative increase of around one million individuals annually."

Al-Hindawi elaborated on age groups, mentioning that "the age group from zero to 15 years old constitutes 40%, the age group from 16 to 63 years old is 56%, and the age group of 64 years and above accounts for 3.4%."