MigrantoMigration trends in Iraq
Middle East
Iraq loses more people than it takes in: 2.3M emigrants against 344.5K immigrants. Net balance −2M — 4% of the country's population
46M
Population
344.5K
Immigrants
2.3M
Emigrants
−2M
Outflow
1 in 134 residents of Iraq was born abroad — and 1 in 21 people born in Iraq lives abroad
#33 in the world by net migration loss
Top corridors
The largest migration flows in Iraq
Key moments
How migration has changed since 1990
1990
63.7K immigrants · 598.5K emigrants
1995
- A surge of arrivals — the foreign-born population jumped 176%
- Palestine overtook Iran as the largest source of new arrivals
- The foreign-born population passed 100K residents
2000
- Surge of departures to USA — 79.3K people left
2005
- Syria replaced Iran as the main destination for those leaving
- Immigration contracted — the foreign-born population fell 42%
- The diaspora passed 1M people
2010
- Iran overtook Palestine as the largest source of new arrivals
- An accelerating exodus — the diaspora grew by 124%
- Rose into the 3 biggest countries by emigrants in the Middle East
- Surge of departures to Syria — 772.9K people left
2015
- A surge of arrivals — the foreign-born population jumped 255%
- USA replaced Syria as the main destination for those leaving
- Surge of immigrants from Syria — 245.7K new arrivals
- The foreign-born population passed 100K residents
2020
- Surge of departures to Turkey — 300.3K people left
- Surge of departures to Germany — 133.7K people left
Today
- Since 1990: 280.8K more foreign-born residents and 1.7M more emigrants
Data source: International Migrant Stock 2024 (UN DESA, Population Division)
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