Migranto

Iraqi Diaspora

2.3M Iraqis live abroad — the #33 largest diaspora in the world

#33 worldwide#5 in the Middle East

Where emigrants go

The top 3 countries receive 41% of all emigrants

Largest destination
Turkey

403.7K

17.5% of all emigrants

2USA272.4K11.8%
3Germany263.9K11.4%
4Jordan219.2K9.5%
5Syria209.4K9.1%
6Sweden150.5K6.5%
7Australia112.5K4.9%
8United Kingdom99.2K4.3%
CountryEmigrants
Turkey403670
USA272370
Germany263918
Jordan219163
Syria209390
Sweden150470
Australia112467
United Kingdom99203
Canada98416
Israel77676
Libya77265
Iran55516
Netherlands48412
Norway26194
Belgium24557
Denmark21857
Finland21546
Egypt20517
Greece17950
Austria17372
Switzerland12464
Yemen10139
Italy8547
Algeria7711
Saudi Arabia6510
New Zealand5423
Lebanon5101
Morocco2006
Bulgaria1910
Hungary1728
Cyprus1352
Armenia1346
Luxembourg1188
Russia1169
Romania1077
Brazil967
Tunisia709
Poland675
Malaysia674
India656
Indonesia536
China482
Malta428
Iceland356
Chile325
Portugal289
Slovakia234
Pakistan233
Mauritania131
Slovenia128
Serbia122
Croatia71
Venezuela70
Estonia64
Tajikistan60
Lithuania58
Latvia48
Sri Lanka39
Dominican Republic29
Costa Rica22
Liechtenstein11
Bolivia11
Sierra Leone0

By destination region

Middle East is the leading destination region at 40%

Middle East40.4%

934.3K

Europe31.2%

722K

North America16.0%

370.8K

Oceania5.1%

117.9K

Africa4.7%

108.3K

Asia2.5%

58.2K

Latin America0.1%

1.4K

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Interesting facts

Notable statistics about emigration from Iraq.

Turkey is the fastest-growing major destination

Emigration to Turkey has increased by 137% since 2015, rising from 170.3K to 403.7K in 9 years.

Emigration destinations have diversified since 1990

The top destination's share fell from 49% to 17%, indicating a broader spread of emigration patterns.

The share of emigrants going to Asia has declined since 1990

The share of emigrants going to Asia has shifted from 49% to 2.5% since 1990.

Top emigration destinations have shifted significantly since 1990

4 new countries have entered the top 20 destinations: Norway, Belgium, Finland — Norway rose from outside the top 20 to rank #14.

How emigration changed over time

Total emigrant population by year

YearEmigrants
1990598492
1995647345
2000825369
20051202149
20102697913
20151652951
20202282773
20242313028

Top destinations over time

Emigration to the 5 largest destination countries

Turkey USA Germany Jordan Syria
YearTurkeyUSAGermanyJordanSyria
1990294064204126087178423825
1995216292124932691259793036
20001104310056470439379551829
200525137894598954761156337785
201044828163127924495374991110642
2015170324210782114598176104195204
2020470584244938248322215392203003
2024403670272370263918219163209390

Fastest-changing destinations

How emigration to each country has changed since the selected year

Lebanon5.1K-80%
Malta428+74%
Iceland356+51%
Malaysia674-47%
Bulgaria1.9K+38%
Indonesia536-29%
Italy8.5K+28%
Brazil967-25%

Iraq as an emigration source

Share of immigrants in each country who originate from Iraq

Syria25%209.4K
Sweden7%150.5K
Turkey6%403.7K
Jordan4%219.2K
Germany2%263.9K
USA1%272.4K
Australia1%112.5K
United Kingdom1%99.2K

Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)

Frequently asked questions

Where do Iraqis move to?

Most Iraqis have moved to Turkey, USA and Germany — these three countries account for about 41% of all Iraqis living abroad.

How many Iraqis live abroad?

Around 2.3M Iraqis live abroad, making it the #33-largest emigrant population in the world.

What share of the population of Iraq lives abroad?

About 5% of the population of Iraq lives abroad — that's 2.3M out of a total population of 46M.

How has emigration from Iraq changed over the past decade?

Over the past decade, the emigrant population from Iraq has grown from 1.7M to 2.3M people, a growth of about 40%.

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