Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Iraq
Iraq: Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of was 0.6599 units per square kilometre in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Iraq, 1979–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.
Analysis
Iraq recorded 0.6599 units per square kilometre for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in 2023. That is the highest value across all 43 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.7% on the previous year and up 16.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Iraq peaked at 0.6599 units per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0.0009 units per square kilometre, in 1979.
That places Iraq 45th out of 179 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Iraq, year by year
| Year | units per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 0.0009 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1980 | 0.0009 units per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.0027 units per square kilometre | +200.0% |
| 1982 | 0.0027 units per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.0027 units per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.0027 units per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.1902 units per square kilometre | +6833.3% |
| 1986 | 0.2538 units per square kilometre | +33.4% |
| 1987 | 0.0023 units per square kilometre | -99.1% |
| 1990 | 0.0021 units per square kilometre | -10.0% |
| 1991 | 0.2012 units per square kilometre | +9676.7% |
| 1992 | 0.2629 units per square kilometre | +30.7% |
| 1993 | 0.2494 units per square kilometre | -5.2% |
| 1994 | 0.2734 units per square kilometre | +9.6% |
| 1995 | 0.2669 units per square kilometre | -2.4% |
| 1996 | 0.2583 units per square kilometre | -3.2% |
| 1997 | 0.2379 units per square kilometre | -7.9% |
| 1998 | 0.2378 units per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.2947 units per square kilometre | +23.9% |
| 2000 | 0.2922 units per square kilometre | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 0.293 units per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 0.3068 units per square kilometre | +4.7% |
| 2003 | 0.1068 units per square kilometre | -65.2% |
| 2004 | 0.1053 units per square kilometre | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 0.1147 units per square kilometre | +9.0% |
| 2006 | 0.1015 units per square kilometre | -11.5% |
| 2007 | 0.0968 units per square kilometre | -4.6% |
| 2008 | 0.0903 units per square kilometre | -6.7% |
| 2009 | 0.0811 units per square kilometre | -10.2% |
| 2010 | 0.0798 units per square kilometre | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 0.081 units per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 0.2275 units per square kilometre | +180.9% |
| 2013 | 0.5673 units per square kilometre | +149.4% |
| 2014 | 0.6246 units per square kilometre | +10.1% |
| 2015 | 0.6397 units per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 0.6032 units per square kilometre | -5.7% |
| 2017 | 0.6396 units per square kilometre | +6.0% |
| 2018 | 0.6519 units per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 0.6311 units per square kilometre | -3.2% |
| 2020 | 0.6228 units per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 2021 | 0.6451 units per square kilometre | +3.6% |
| 2022 | 0.6305 units per square kilometre | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 0.6599 units per square kilometre | +4.7% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 0.6599 units per square kilometre is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.0093 units per square kilometre, 70.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 0.6599 units per square kilometre is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 0.0612 units per square kilometre, 10.8× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of in Iraq changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +9676.7% | 0.0021 units per square kilometre | 0.2012 units per square kilometre |
| 1985 | +6833.3% | 0.0027 units per square kilometre | 0.1902 units per square kilometre |
| 1981 | +200.0% | 0.0009 units per square kilometre | 0.0027 units per square kilometre |
| 2012 | +180.9% | 0.081 units per square kilometre | 0.2275 units per square kilometre |
| 2013 | +149.4% | 0.2275 units per square kilometre | 0.5673 units per square kilometre |
| 1987 | -99.1% | 0.2538 units per square kilometre | 0.0023 units per square kilometre |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.0009 units per square kilometre | 0.0009 units per square kilometre | 0.0009 units per square kilometre | 1 |
| 1980s | 0.0573 units per square kilometre | 0.0009 units per square kilometre | 0.2538 units per square kilometre | 8 |
| 1990s | 0.2285 units per square kilometre | 0.0021 units per square kilometre | 0.2947 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1589 units per square kilometre | 0.0811 units per square kilometre | 0.3068 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4746 units per square kilometre | 0.0798 units per square kilometre | 0.6519 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6396 units per square kilometre | 0.6228 units per square kilometre | 0.6599 units per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
- 42 Latvia 0.7354 units per square kilometre compare
- 43 Hungary 0.6923 units per square kilometre compare
- 44 Portugal 0.6856 units per square kilometre compare
- 46 Trinidad and Tobago 0.6248 units per square kilometre compare
- 47 South Sudan 0.6033 units per square kilometre compare
- 48 Sweden 0.5835 units per square kilometre compare
More social development data for Iraq
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 322,345 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 270,671 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 5 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0058 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 270,671 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0069 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Iraq?
- Refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of in Iraq was 0.6599 units per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 0.6599 units per square kilometre in 2023.
- What is the lowest refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0009 units per square kilometre in 1979.
- How does Iraq rank for refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of?
- Iraq ranks 45th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is refugees under the mandate of the unhcr by country or territory of rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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How this figure is calculated
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of Refugee Population Statistics Database, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.