View source for Iraqis

{{Short description|Citizens and nationals of Iraq}}
{{redirect|The Iraqis|the Iraqi political party|The Iraqis (party)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group            = Iraqis
| native_name      = {{nobold|{{langx|ar|العراقيون|rtl=yes|label=none}}&nbsp;([[Arabic]])<br />{{Langx|ku|عێراقییەکان|rtl=yes|label=none}}&nbsp;([[Kurdish language|Kurdish]])}}
| native_name_lang = ar
| image            = Map of the Iraqi Diaspora in the World.svg
| caption          = Map of the [[Iraqi diaspora]], including people of full or partial Iraqi origin and their descendants
| population       = 45+ million (2024)
| region1          = {{flagu|Iraq}}
| pop1             = 45,504,560
| ref1             = {{citation needed|date=June 2025}}
| region2          = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
| pop2             = [[British Iraqis|400,000–850,000]]
| ref2             = <ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.arab-reform.net/publication/the-uk-iraqi-diaspora-and-their-mobilization-towards-iraq-homeland-politics-internal-dynamics-and-the-fragmentation-of-diasporic-transnationalism |title=The UK Iraqi Diaspora and their Mobilization towards Iraq |journal=Arab Reform Initiative |date=26 July 2021 |last1=Kadhum |first1=Oula |access-date=4 April 2022 |archive-date=18 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118104937/https://www.arab-reform.net/publication/the-uk-iraqi-diaspora-and-their-mobilization-towards-iraq-homeland-politics-internal-dynamics-and-the-fragmentation-of-diasporic-transnationalism/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| region3          = {{flag|Iran}}
| pop3             = [[Iraqis in Iran|500,000]]
| ref3             = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.netnative.com/news/01/may/1003.html|title=500,000 Iraqis in Iran|access-date=2010-12-10|archive-date=2019-06-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190610231339/http://www.netnative.com/news/01/may/1003.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| region4          = {{flag|Israel}}
| pop4             = [[Iraqi Jews in Israel|450,000]]
| ref4             = <ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121104095011/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-73357609.html HighBeam]</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Collie |first1=Tim |title=JEWISH & IRAQI |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2003-03-02-0303020004-story.html |website=Sun-Sentinel |date=2 March 2003 |access-date=2022-04-04 |archive-date=2022-04-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404081432/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2003-03-02-0303020004-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
| region5          = {{flag|United States}}
| pop5             = [[Iraqi Americans|155,055]]
| ref5             = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSDT1Y2023.B04006|title=People Reporting Ancestry|publisher=US Census Bureau|work=American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Estimates Detailed Tables|accessdate=28 March 2025}}</ref>
| region6          = {{flag|Germany}}
| pop6             = [[Iraqis in Germany|321,000]]
| ref6             = <ref name=statista>{{cite web|url=https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Bevoelkerung/Migration-Integration/Publikationen/Downloads-Migration/auslaend-bevoelkerung-2010200187004.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=3|title=Ausländische Bevölkerung in den Jahren 2011 bis 2018|work=statista|language=de|access-date=2022-04-04|archive-date=2022-01-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120185145/https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Bevoelkerung/Migration-Integration/Publikationen/Downloads-Migration/auslaend-bevoelkerung-2010200187004.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=3|url-status=live}}</ref>
| region7          = {{flag|United Arab Emirates}}
| pop7             = [[Iraqis in the United Arab Emirates|250,000]]
| ref7             = <ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/uae-iraqis-restricted-by-passport-delays-1.563221|title = UAE Iraqis restricted by passport delays|date = 28 August 2008|access-date = 26 October 2021|archive-date = 9 March 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160309173530/http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/uae-iraqis-restricted-by-passport-delays?pageCount=0|url-status = live}}</ref>
| region8          = {{flag|Sweden}}
| pop8             = [[Swedish Iraqis|145,586]]
| ref8             = <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.statistikdatabasen.scb.se/pxweb/en/ssd/START__BE__BE0101__BE0101E/FodelselandArK/?rxid=86abd797-7854-4564-9150-c9b06ae3ab07c9b06ae3ab07|title=Population by country of birth, age and sex. Year 2000 - 2023|access-date=2025-01-22}}</ref>
| region9          = {{flag|Jordan}}
| pop9             = [[Iraqis in Jordan|131,000]]
| ref9             = <ref>{{cite web |title=الأردن يستضيف 3 ملايين شخص من 57 جنسية |url=https://www.almamlakatv.com/news/30988-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%86-%D9%8A%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B6%D9%8A%D9%81-3-%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%B4%D8%AE%D8%B5-%D9%85%D9%86-57-%D8%AC%D9%86%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A9%7D%7D |website=قناة المملكة |access-date=21 February 2022 |language=ar |date=18 December 2019 |archive-date=21 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121230406/https://www.almamlakatv.com/news/30988-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%86-%D9%8A%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B6%D9%8A%D9%81-3-%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%B4%D8%AE%D8%B5-%D9%85%D9%86-57-%D8%AC%D9%86%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A9%7D%7D |url-status=live }}</ref>
| region10         = {{flag|Turkey}}
| pop10            = [[Iraqis in Turkey|115,000]]
| ref10            = <ref name='JP'>{{cite web|url=http://www.joshuaproject.net/countries.php?rog3=TU|title=Ethnic groups of Turkey|access-date=2010-12-10|publisher=[[Joshua Project]]|archive-date=2019-07-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719221707/https://joshuaproject.net/countries.php%3Frog3%3DTU|url-status=live}}</ref>
| region11         = {{flag|Australia}}
| pop11            = [[Iraqi Australians|104,170]]
| ref11            = <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-statistics/statistics/country-profiles/profiles/iraq#:~:text=At%20the%20end%20of%20June,57%2C430)%20at%2030%20June%202012. |publisher=Home Affairs|website=www.homeaffairs.gov.au|access-date=2024-11-13 |title=Department of Home Affairs Website }}</ref>
| region12         = {{flag|Netherlands}}
| pop12            = [[Iraqis in the Netherlands|85,000]]
| ref12            = 
| region13         = {{flag|Canada}}
| pop13            = [[Iraqi Canadians|84,130]]
| ref13            = <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?LANG=E&GENDERlist=1&STATISTIClist=1,4&DGUIDlist=2021A000011124&HEADERlist=31,30,25&SearchText=Canada |publisher=Canada Statistics|website=www.statcan.gc.ca/en/start |access-date=2024-11-13 |title=Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Canada &#91;Country&#93; |date=9 February 2022 }}</ref>
| region14         = 
| pop14            = 
| ref14            = 
| region15         = 
| pop15            = 
| ref15            = 
| region18         = {{flag|Lebanon}}
| pop18            = [[Iraqis in Lebanon|50,000]]
| ref18            = <ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.infomigrants.net/ar/post/29465/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B8%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86|title = العراقيون في لبنان.. لاجئون منسيون بانتظار "إعادة التوطين"|date = 6 January 2021|access-date = 26 October 2021|archive-date = 27 October 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211027133636/https://www.infomigrants.net/ar/post/29465/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B8%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86|url-status = live}}</ref>
| region19         = {{flag|Finland}}
| pop19            = [[Iraqis in Finland|26,653]]
| ref19            = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stat.fi/tup/maahanmuutto/maahanmuuttajat-vaestossa/ulkomaalaistaustaiset_en.html|title=Persons with foreign background|website=stat.fi|access-date=2020-12-13|archive-date=2021-01-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105084300/https://www.stat.fi/tup/maahanmuutto/maahanmuuttajat-vaestossa/ulkomaalaistaustaiset_en.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| region20         = {{flag|Austria}}
| pop20            = 13,000+
| ref20            = <ref>{{cite web|format=PDF|url=http://www.statistik.at/wcm/idc/idcplg?IdcService=GET_PDF_FILE&RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&dDocName=071715|title=Bevölkerung zu Jahresbeginn seit 2002 nach detaillierter Staatsangehörigkeit|trans-title=Population at the beginning of the year since 2002 by detailed nationality|language=de|work=Statistics Austria|date=14 June 2016|access-date=1 August 2016|archive-date=14 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114103956/http://www.statistik.at/wcm/idc/idcplg?IdcService=GET_PDF_FILE&RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&dDocName=071715|url-status=live}}</ref>
| region21         = 
| pop21            = 
| ref21            = 
| languages        = '''Majority:'''<br />[[Mesopotamian Arabic]]<br />'''Minority:'''<br />[[Kurdish languages|Kurdish]], [[Iraqi Turkmen#Language|Turkmen Turkic]], [[Neo-Aramaic languages|Neo-Aramaic]], [[Suret language|Assyrian]], [[Armenian language|Armenian]], [[Mandaic language|Mandaic]], [[Shabaki language|Shabaki]], [[Domari language|Domari]], etc. (See: ''[[Languages of Iraq]]'')<ref>Barker, Geoff (2012), Iraq, Britannica, p. 23, {{ISBN|1-61535-637-1}}</ref>
| religions        = '''Majority:'''<br />[[Islam in Iraq|Islam]] (~95%){{Efn|~64% [[Shia Islam|Shia]] and ~34% [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]].}}<br />'''Minority:'''<br />[[Christianity in Iraq|Christianity]] (1%),{{Efn|[[Church of the East]], [[Oriental Orthodox]], [[Eastern Orthodox]], [[Eastern Catholic]], etc.}}<br />[[Yazidism]], [[Mandaeism]], [[Zoroastrianism]], [[Yarsanism]], [[History of the Jews in Iraq|Judaism]], etc. (See: ''[[Religion in Iraq]]'')<ref>{{cite web |title=Minorities in Iraq: Pushed to the brink of existence |url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/548988/EPRS_BRI(2015)548988_REV1_EN.pdf |publisher=European Parliament |date=February 2015 |access-date=2022-07-02 |archive-date=2022-07-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702112946/https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/548988/EPRS_BRI(2015)548988_REV1_EN.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iraq/|title=Middle East :: Iraq — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency|website=cia.gov|date=2 November 2021|access-date=24 January 2021|archive-date=10 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110072526/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iraq/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Iraq|title=Iraq - Arabs|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=2018-09-01|archive-date=2015-05-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526175331/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/293631/Iraq|url-status=live}}</ref>
| related_groups   = Other [[Ethnic groups in the Middle East|Middle Eastern ethnic groups]]
}}
'''Iraqis''' ({{langx|ar|العراقيون|rtl=yes}}&nbsp;{{Transliteration|ar|al-ʿIrāqiyyūn}}; {{Langx|ku|عێراقییەکان|'Êraqiyekan}}) are the [[Iraqi nationality law|citizens and nationals]] of the [[Iraq|Republic of Iraq]]. The majority of Iraqis are [[Arabs]],<ref>{{Cite book |last=Office |first=Great Britain Foreign |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JJpnAAAAMAAJ |title=Documents on British Foreign Policy, 1919-1939 |date=1958 |publisher=H.M. Stationery Office |language=en |access-date=2022-03-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116124147/https://books.google.com/books?id=JJpnAAAAMAAJ |archive-date=2023-01-16 |url-status=live}}</ref> with [[Kurds in Iraq|Kurds]] accounting for the largest ethnic minority, followed by [[Iraqi Turkmen|Turkmen]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Minorities in Iraq: EU Research Service |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/548988/EPRS_BRI(2015)548988_REV1_EN.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526211930/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/548988/EPRS_BRI(2015)548988_REV1_EN.pdf |archive-date=2019-05-26 |access-date=2019-05-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author=Mitchell, T. F. |title=Pronouncing Arabic |date=1990–1993 |publisher=Clarendon Press |isbn=0198151519 |location=Oxford [England] |pages=37 |oclc=18020063}}</ref> Other ethnic groups from the country include [[Yazidis]], [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]], [[Mandaeans]], [[Iraqi Armenians|Armenians]], and [[Iranians in Iraq|Persians]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Office |first=Great Britain Foreign |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JJpnAAAAMAAJ |title=Documents on British Foreign Policy, 1919-1939 |date=1958 |publisher=H.M. Stationery Office |pages=719 |language=en |access-date=2022-03-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116124147/https://books.google.com/books?id=JJpnAAAAMAAJ |archive-date=2023-01-16 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Minorities in Iraq: EU Research Service |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/548988/EPRS_BRI(2015)548988_REV1_EN.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526211930/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/548988/EPRS_BRI(2015)548988_REV1_EN.pdf |archive-date=2019-05-26 |access-date=2019-05-02}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Mitchell, T. F. |title=Pronouncing Arabic |date=1990–1993 |publisher=Clarendon Press |isbn=0198151519 |location=Oxford [England] |pages=37 |oclc=18020063}}</ref> Approximately 95% of Iraqis adhere to [[Islam]], with nearly 64% of this figure consisting of [[Shia Islam in Iraq|Shia Muslims]] and the remainder consisting of [[Sunni Islam in Iraq|Sunni Muslims]]. The largest minority religion is [[Christianity in Iraq|Christianity]] at 1%, while other religions collectively represent as much as 4% of the Iraqi populace. 

The territory of modern-day Iraq largely overlaps with what was historically known as [[Mesopotamia]], which was [[Cradle of civilization#Mesopotamia|home to many noteworthy civilizations]], such as [[Sumer]], [[Akkadian Empire|Akkad]], [[Assyria]], and [[Babylonia]]. The fall of these native Mesopotamian civilizations, particularly [[Fall of Babylon|Babylon in the 6th century BC]], marked the beginning of centuries-long foreign conquests and rule.<ref name=":3">{{cite journal |last1=Dogan |first1=Serkan |last2=Gurkan |first2=Cemal |last3=Dogan |first3=Mustafa |last4=Balkaya |first4=Hasan Emin |last5=Tunc |first5=Ramazan |last6=Demirdov |first6=Damla Kanliada |last7=Ameen |first7=Nihad Ahmed |last8=Marjanovic |first8=Damir |title=A glimpse at the intricate mosaic of ethnicities from Mesopotamia: Paternal lineages of the Northern Iraqi Arabs, Kurds, Syriacs, Turkmens and Yazidis |journal=PLOS ONE |date=3 November 2017 |volume=12 |issue=11 |pages=e0187408 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0187408 |pmid=29099847 |pmc=5669434 |bibcode=2017PLoSO..1287408D |issn=1932-6203|doi-access=free }} [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]]  Text was copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016050101/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |date=2017-10-16 }}.</ref> Recent studies indicate that the various Iraqi ethnic groups have significant [[Genetic history of the Middle East|genetic similarities]], likely due to the long history of intermingling and assimilation between foreign and indigenous populations in the region.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lazim|first1=Hayder|last2=Almohammed|first2=Eida Khalaf|last3=Hadi|first3=Sibte|last4=Smith|first4=Judith|date=2020-09-17|title=Population genetic diversity in an Iraqi population and gene flow across the Arabian Peninsula|journal=Scientific Reports|volume=10|issue=1|pages=15289|doi=10.1038/s41598-020-72283-1|issn=2045-2322|pmc=7499422|pmid=32943725|bibcode=2020NatSR..1015289L}}</ref> 

[[Arabic]] and [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]] are Iraq's two official languages; [[Mesopotamian Arabic]] is the Iraqi [[Varieties of Arabic|Arabic variety]], having emerged in the aftermath of the [[Arab conquest of Mesopotamia]] in the 7th century. The process of [[Arabization]] and [[Islamization]] that began during the medieval era resulted in the decline of various [[Eastern Aramaic languages]] and local religions, most notably during the [[Abbasid Caliphate]], when the city of [[Baghdad]] became the capital of the [[Muslim world]] and the centre of the [[Islamic Golden Age]]. Mesopotamian Arabic is considered to be the most Aramaic-influenced dialect of Arabic, as Aramaic originated in Mesopotamia and spread throughout the [[Fertile Crescent]] during the [[Neo-Assyrian Empire|Neo-Assyrian period]], eventually becoming the ''lingua franca'' of the entire region prior to the [[early Muslim conquests]].<ref name="CMK" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Aramaic was the medium of everyday writing, and it provided scripts for writing. |title=Humanism, Culture, and Language in the Near East : Studies in Honor of Georg Krotkoff |date=1997 |publisher=Eisenbrauns |others=Krotkoff, Georg., Afsaruddin, Asma, 1958-, Zahniser, A. H. Mathias, 1938- |isbn=9781575065083 |location=Winona Lake, Ind. |oclc=747412055}} {{verify source|date=September 2019|reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/895080899 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/895078359 cite #6 - verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Tradition and modernity in Arabic language and literature |date=16 December 2013 |others=Smart, J. R., Shaban Memorial Conference (2nd : 1994 : University of Exeter) |isbn=9781136788123 |location=Richmond, Surrey, U.K. |pages=253 |oclc=865579151}} {{verify source|date=September 2019|reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/895080899 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/895078359 cite #7 - verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sanchez |first=Francisco del Rio |title="Influences of Aramaic on dialectal Arabic", in: Archaism and Innovation in the Semitic Languages. Selected papers |url=https://www.academia.edu/3782152 |language=en |access-date=2022-04-04 |archive-date=2021-09-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911023114/https://www.academia.edu/3782152 |url-status=live }} {{verify source|date=September 2019|reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/895080899 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/895078359 cite #8 - verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref> Other languages spoken within the Iraqi community include [[Iraqi Turkmen language|Turkmen Turkic]], [[Neo-Aramaic languages|Neo-Aramaic]], and [[Mandaic language|Mandaic]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Iraq's Constitution |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Iraq_2005.pdf?lang=en |url-status=live |access-date=2022-04-04 |archive-date=2019-05-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515162844/https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Iraq_2005.pdf?lang=en}}</ref>

==History==
{{Culture of Iraq}}
{{main|Mesopotamia|History of Mesopotamia|History of Iraq}}

In ancient and medieval times [[Mesopotamia]] was the political and cultural centre of many great empires and civilizations, such as the [[Akkadian Empire]], [[Assyria]], [[Neo-Assyrian Empire|Assyrian Empire]] and [[Neo-Babylonian Empire|Babylon Empire]].<ref name=JM>{{cite book|last=McIntosh|first=Jane|title=Ancient Mesopotamia: New Perspectives|year=2005|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|isbn=978-1-57607-965-2|page=313|quote=Iraqis have always been proud of their heritage and of their unique position as guardians of the Cradle of Civilization.}}</ref><ref name=WS>{{cite book|last=Spencer|first=William|title=Iraq: Old Land, New Nation in Conflict|year=2000|publisher=Twenty-First Century Books|isbn=978-0-7613-1356-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/iraqoldlandnewna00spen/page/13 13]|quote=The Iraqi heritage is a proud one. Iraqi ancestors made such contributions to our modern world as a written language, agriculture and the growing of food crops, the building of cities and the urban environment, basic systems of government, and a religious structure centered on gods and goddesses guiding human affairs.|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/iraqoldlandnewna00spen/page/13}}</ref> The ancient Mesopotamian civilization of [[Sumer]] is the oldest known [[civilization]] in the world,<ref name="BMC">{{cite journal|author=Al-Zahery|title=In search of the genetic footprints of Sumerians: a survey of Y-chromosome and mtDNA variation in the Marsh Arabs of Iraq|journal=[[BMC Evolutionary Biology]]|date=Oct 2011|volume=11|issue=1 |page=288|doi=10.1186/1471-2148-11-288|url= |pmid=21970613|pmc=3215667|display-authors=etal |doi-access=free |bibcode=2011BMCEE..11..288A }}</ref> and thus Iraq is widely known as the [[cradle of civilization|Cradle Of Civilization]].<ref name=JM/> Iraq remained an important centre of civilization for millennia, up until the Muslim conquest of Mesopotamia and subsequently  [[Abbasid Caliphate]] (of which [[Baghdad]] was the [[Capital city|capital]]), which was the most advanced empire of the [[Middle Ages|medieval world]] (see [[Islamic Golden Age]]). Hence, [[Mesopotamia]] has witnessed many periods of emigration and immigration in the past.

Further information on Iraq's civilization and cultural history can be found in the following chronology of Iraqi history:
* [[Nemrik 9]] (9800 BC – 8200 BC)
* [[Jarmo]] (7000 – 5000 BC)
* [[Sumer]] (6500 – 1940 BC)
:*[[Ubaid period]] (6500 – 4000 BC)
:*[[Uruk period]] (4000 – 3000 BC)
:*[[History of Sumer#Early Dynastic period|Early Dynastic period]] (3000 – 2334 BC)
* [[Sumer]] and [[Akkad (city)|Akkad]] (1900 – 539 BC)
:*[[Akkadian Empire]] (2334 – 2218 BC)
:*[[Gutian dynasty of Sumer|Gutian dynasty]] (2218 – 2047 BC)
:*[[Third Dynasty of Ur|Neo-Sumerian Empire]] (2047 – 1940 BC)
* Akkadian era
:*[[Babylonia]] (1900 - 539 BC)
:*[[Assyria]] (1900 – 609 BC)
:*[[Neo-Assyrian Empire]] (745 – 626 BC)
:*[[Neo-Babylonian Empire]] (626 – 539 BC)
:*[[Fall of Babylon]] (539 BC)
* [[Achaemenid Empire]] (539 – 330 BC)
:*[[Achaemenid Assyria]] (539 – 330 BC)
* [[Seleucid Empire|Seleucid Babylonia]] (331 – 141 BC)
* [[Parthian Empire|Parthian Babylonia]] (141 BC – 224)
:*[[Kingdom of Araba|Araba]] (100 BC – 240)
:*[[Adiabene]] (15 – 116)
* [[Sassanid Empire|Sassanid Persia]] (224 – 638)
:*[[Asuristan]] (224 – 638)
:*[[Lakhmids]] (266 – 633)
* Islamic conquest (632 – 1258)
:*[[Rashidun Caliphate]] (638 – 661)
:*[[Umayyad Caliphate]] (661 – 750)
:*[[Abbasid Caliphate]] (750 – 1258)
* [[Ilkhanate]] (1258 – 1335)
* [[History of Mesopotamia#Middle Ages to Early Modern Period|Turkic dynasties]] (1335 – 1501)
:*[[Jalayirids|Jalayirid Sultanate]] (1335 – 1410)
:*[[Kara Koyunlu]] (1410 – 1468)
:*[[Ak Koyunlu]] (1468 – 1501)
* [[Safavid dynasty]] (1501 – 1533)
* [[Ottoman Iraq|Ottoman Empire]] (1533 – 1918)
:*[[Mamluk rule in Iraq|Mamluk dynasty]] (1747 – 1831)
* [[British Mandate of Mesopotamia|British Mandate for Mesopotamia]] (1920 – 1932)
* [[Kingdom of Iraq]] (1932 – 1958)
* [[Iraq|Republic of Iraq]] (1958 – present)
:*[[Iraqi Republic (1958–1968)|Iraqi Republic]] (1958 – 1968)
:*[[Ba'athist Iraq]] (1968 – 2003)

==Genetics==
{{Further|Genetic history of the Middle East|Genetic history of the Arab world|Assyrian people#Genetics}}
One study found that [[Haplogroup J-M172]] originated in northern Iraq.<ref name="Zahery">{{cite web|url=http://www.familytreedna.com/pdf/Al_Zahery.pdf|title=N. Al-Zahery et al. "Y-chromosome and mtDNA polymorphisms in Iraq, a crossroad of the early human dispersal and of post-Neolithic migrations" (2003)|access-date=2010-12-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101227053418/http://www.familytreedna.com/pdf/Al_Zahery.pdf|archive-date=2010-12-27|url-status=dead}}</ref> In spite of the importance of this region, genetic studies on the Iraqi people are limited and generally restricted to analysis of classical markers due to Iraq's modern political instability,<ref name="Zahery" /> although there have been several published studies displaying a genealogical connection between all Iraqi peoples and the neighboring countries, across religious, ethnic and linguistic barriers. Studies indicate that the different ethno-religious groups of Iraq ([[Mesopotamia]]) share significant similarities in genetics and that Mesopotamian Arabs, who make up the majority of Iraqis, are more genetically similar to Iraqi Kurds than other Arab populations in the [[Middle East]] and [[Arabia]].<ref name="Hayder Lazim, Eida Khalaf Almohammed, Sibte Hadi & Judith Smith - Scientific Reports volume 10, Article number: 15289 (2020)">{{Cite journal|author=Hayder Lazim|author2=Eida Khalaf Almohammed|author3=Sibte Hadi|author4=Judith Smith|year=2020|title=Population genetic diversity in an Iraqi population and gene flow across the Arabian Peninsula|journal=Nature|volume=10|issue=1|page=15289|doi=10.1038/s41598-020-72283-1|pmc=7499422|pmid=32943725|bibcode=2020NatSR..1015289L}}</ref>

No significant differences in Y-DNA variation were observed among Iraqi Mesopotamian Arabs, Assyrians, or Kurds.<ref name="Zahery" /> Modern genetic studies indicate that Iraqi Arabs and Iraqi Kurds are distantly related, though Iraqi Mesopotamian Arabs are more related to [[Iraqi-Assyrians]] than they are to [[Kurds in Iraq|Iraqi Kurds]].<ref name="CS">Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza, Paolo Menozzi, Alberto Piazza, The History and Geography of Human Genes, p. 242</ref><ref name="Genetic">{{cite web|url=http://www.atour.com/health/images/genetics.gif|title=Cavalli-Sforza et al. Genetic tree of West Asia|access-date=2010-12-10|archive-date=2011-06-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614015416/http://www.atour.com/health/images/genetics.gif|url-status=live}}</ref>

For both mtDNA and Y-DNA variation, the large majority of the [[haplogroup]]s observed in the Iraqi population ([[Haplogroup H (mtDNA)|H]], [[Haplogroup J (mtDNA)|J]], [[Haplogroup T (mtDNA)|T]], and [[Haplogroup U (mtDNA)|U]] for the mtDNA, [[Haplogroup J-M172|J-M172]] and [[Haplogroup J-M267|J-M267]] for the Y-DNA) are those considered to have originated in [[Western Asia]] and to have later spread mainly in West Asia.<ref name='Zahery'/> The Eurasian haplogroups [[Haplogroup R1b|R1b]] and [[Haplogroup R1a|R1a]] represent the second most frequent component of the Iraqi Y-chromosome gene pool, the latter suggests that the population movements from [[Central Asia]] into modern Iran also influenced Iraq.<ref name='Zahery'/>

Many historians and anthropologists provide strong circumstantial evidence to posit that Iraq's [[Marsh Arabs]] share very strong links to the ancient Sumerians<ref name=BMC/><ref>{{cite book|last=Spencer|first=William|title=Iraq: Old Land, New Nation in Conflict|year=2000|publisher=Twenty-First Century Books|isbn=978-0-7613-1356-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/iraqoldlandnewna00spen/page/17 17]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/iraqoldlandnewna00spen/page/17}}</ref>—the oldest human civilization in the world and most ancient inhabitants of central-southern Iraq.

The Iraqi-Assyrian population was found to be significantly related to other Iraqis, especially Mesopotamian Arabs,<ref name='Genetic'/><ref name=BMC/> likely due to the assimilation of indigenous Assyrians with other people groups who occupied and settled Mesopotamia after the fall of the [[Neo-Babylonian Empire]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Tubiana |first=Joseph |date=2012-10-22 |title=Siegbert Uhlig (ed.): Encyclopaedia Aethiopica. Volume 1 |journal=Aethiopica |volume=7 |pages=194–211 |doi=10.15460/aethiopica.7.1.294 |issn=2194-4024 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Studies have reported that most [[Irish people|Irish]] and [[Celtic Britons|Britons]] have ancestry to [[Neolithic]] farmers who left ancient Mesopotamia over 10,000 years ago. Genetic researchers say they have found compelling evidence that, on average, four out of five (80%) Europeans can trace their [[Y chromosome]] to the ancient [[Near East]]. In another study, scientists analyzed [[DNA]] from the 8,000-year-old remains of early farmers found at an ancient graveyard in [[Germany]]. They compared the genetic signatures to those of modern populations and found similarities with the DNA of people living in today's [[Turkey]] and [[Iraq]].<ref name='BBC'>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11729813|title=Migrants from the Near East 'brought farming to Europe'|access-date=2010-12-10|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=2010-11-10|archive-date=2010-12-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213144452/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11729813|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to Dogan et al. (2017), the most prevalent lineages among north Iraqis are J1 (17.98%), R1b (12.81%), R1a (12.40%) and J2a1b (12.19%) but distributions vary according to ethnicity. 14 different haplogroups were observed in Iraqi Arabs, with the three most common being J1 (38.61%), R1a (12.87%) and T (8.91%). The high prevalence of J1 is indicative of the indigeneity of Iraqi Arabs, which is similarly observed in Marsh Arabs. Prevalence of R and J macrohaplogroups is also attributed to pre-[[Last Glacial Maximum]] events in the Near East. Meanwhile, 15 different haplogroups were observed in Kurds, with the three most common being J2a1b (20.20%), J1 / R1a (17.17%) and E1b1b (13.13%). 10 different haplogroups were observed in Syriacs, with the three most common being R1b (30.23%), T (17.44%) and J2a1b (15.12%). 16 different haplogroups were observed in Turkmens, with the three most common being E1b1b (17.53%), J1 / J2a1b / R1a (12.37%) and G2a (10.31%). 11 different haplogroups were observed in Yazidis, with the three most common being R1b (20.79%), L (11.88%) and G2a / J2a1x J2a1b/h (10.89%).<ref name=":3" />

==Languages==
Iraq's national languages are [[Arabic]] and [[Kurdish languages|Kurdish]]. The two main regional dialects of Arabic spoken by the Iraqi people are [[Mesopotamian Arabic]] (spoken in the Babylonian alluvial plain and Middle Euphrates valley) and [[South Mesopotamian Arabic]] and [[North Mesopotamian Arabic]] (spoken in the Assyrian highlands).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mongabay.com/reference/country_profiles/2004-2005/Iraq.html|title=Country Profile: Iraq|date=25 August 2006|access-date=2010-12-10|publisher=[[Mongabay]]|archive-date=2011-05-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514113818/http://www.mongabay.com/reference/country_profiles/2004-2005/Iraq.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The two main dialects of Kurdish spoken by [[Kurdish people]] are [[Central Kurdish]] (spoken in the [[Erbil Governorate|Erbil]] and [[Sulaymaniyah Governorate]]s)<ref name='KRG'>{{cite web|url=http://www.krg.org/articles/detail.asp?lngnr=12&smap=03010500&rnr=142&anr=18694|title=The Kurdish language|publisher=[[Kurdistan Regional Government|KRG]]|access-date=2010-12-12|archive-date=2010-12-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202061511/http://krg.org/articles/detail.asp?rnr=142&lngnr=12&smap=03010500&anr=18694|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Northern Kurdish]] (spoken in [[Dohuk Governorate]]).<ref name='KRG' /> In addition to Arabic, most Assyrians and [[Mandaeans]] speak [[Neo-Aramaic languages]]. Mesopotamian Arabic has an [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]] [[Stratum (linguistics)#Substratum|substratum]].<ref name="CMK">{{cite journal |last=Muller-Kessler |first=Christa |date=Jul–Sep 2003 |title=Aramaic 'K', Lyk' and Mesopotamian Arabic 'Aku, Maku: The Mesopotamian Particles of Existence |journal=[[Journal of the American Oriental Society|The Journal of the American Oriental Society]] |volume=123 |issue=3 |pages=641–646 |doi=10.2307/3217756 |jstor=3217756}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{See also|Irreligion in Iraq}}

{{Multiple image
| image1            = The Monastery of Saint Matthew and its environs 08.jpg
| image2            = قبة جامع الحيدر خانة.jpg
| caption1          = [[Mor Mattai Monastery]]
| caption2          = [[Haydar-Khana Mosque]]
| alt1              =
}}

=== Ethnicities ===
Iraq's population was estimated to be 39,650,145 in 2021 (residing in Iraq).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Middle East :: Iraq — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iraq/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110072526/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iraq/ |archive-date=2022-11-10 |access-date=2019-04-08 |website=cia.gov}}</ref> Arabs are the majority ethnic group in Iraq, at around 80%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2.15. Religious and ethnic minorities, and stateless persons |url=https://euaa.europa.eu/country-guidance-iraq-2021/215-religious-and-ethnic-minorities-and-stateless-persons |access-date=2024-01-30 |website=European Union Agency for Asylum |language=en}}</ref> The [[Kurds in Iraq|Kurds]] are the largest ethnic minority. [[Iraqi Turkmens|Turkmens]] are the third largest ethnic group in the country. This is followed by [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]] and [[Armenians]] (500,000), [[Yazidis]] (500,000), [[Marsh Arabs]], and [[Shabak people|Shabaks]], [[Ajam of Iraq|Persians]] (500,000) (250,000). Other minorities include [[Mandaeans]] (6,000), [[Dom people|Roma]] (50,000) and [[Circassians in Iraq|Circassians]] (2,000). The most spoken language is [[Mesopotamian Arabic]], followed by [[Kurdish languages|Kurdish]], [[Iraqi Turkmen#Language|Iraqi Turkmen]] dialects and [[Eastern Aramaic languages|Syriac]]. The percentages of different ethno-religious groups residing in Iraq vary from source to source due to the last Iraqi census having taken place over 30 years ago. A new census of Iraq was planned to take place in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Iraq prepping to conduct a census in 2020|url=http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/121220181|access-date=2019-05-01|website=rudaw.net|archive-date=2019-05-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501194825/http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/121220181|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Minorities in Iraq - European Research Service |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/548988/EPRS_BRI(2015)548988_REV1_EN.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526211930/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/548988/EPRS_BRI(2015)548988_REV1_EN.pdf |archive-date=2019-05-26 |access-date=2019-05-02}}</ref>

=== Religions ===
Iraqis are diverse in their faiths. Over 95% of Iraqis are Muslim, divided between 55% Shias and 40% Sunnis.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Religious Politics in Iraq |url=https://www.usip.org/publications/2003/05/religious-politics-iraq |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170311104850/https://www.usip.org/publications/2003/05/religious-politics-iraq |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 March 2017 |access-date=2024-01-30 |website=United States Institute of Peace |language=en}}</ref> In 1968 the Iraqi constitution established [[Islam]] as the official religion of the state. 

{{Pie chart|caption=Religion in Iraq (2019)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iraq/ | title=Iraq | date=15 May 2022 | access-date=24 January 2021 | archive-date=10 November 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110072526/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iraq/ | url-status=live }}</ref>|color1=Green|color2=Gold|color3=Blue|color4=White|label1=[[Islam in Iraq|Islam]]|label2=[[Yazidism]]|label3=[[Christianity]]|label4=others (incl.[[Yarsanism]], [[Zoroastrianism]], [[Baháʼí Faith|Baháʼí]], [[Mandaeism]], [[Irreligion in Iraq|Irreligion]])|value1=95|value2=1.25|value3=1.25|value4=2}}
In addition, [[Christianity in Iraq]] consists of various denominations. The majority of Iraqi Christians are [[Iraqi-Assyrians|Chaldean Catholic Assyrians]], whilst non-Syriac Christians are mostly Iraqi Arabs and Armenians. [[Iraqi-Assyrians]] largely belong to the [[Syriac Orthodox Church]], the [[Assyrian Church of the East]], [[Chaldean Catholic Church]], [[Ancient Church of the East]], and the [[Syriac Catholic Church]]. Iraqi Arab Christians belong to the [[Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch]] and the [[Melkite Greek Catholic Church|Melkite Greek Catholic Church of Antioch]], and [[Armenians in Iraq|Iraqi-Armenians]] belong to the [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian Orthodox Church]] and [[Armenian Catholic Church]]. Their numbers inside Iraq have dwindled to around 500,000+ since 2003.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/548988/EPRS_BRI(2015)548988_REV1_EN.pdf|title=Minorities in Iraq: EU Research Group|access-date=2019-05-11|archive-date=2019-08-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807202012/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/548988/EPRS_BRI(2015)548988_REV1_EN.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

Other religious groups include [[Mandaeans]], [[Shabak people|Shabaks]], [[Yazidis]] and followers of other [[minority religion]]s. Furthermore, [[History of the Jews in Iraq|Jews]] had also been present in Iraq in significant numbers historically, and [[History of the Jews in Iraq|Iraq had the largest Jewish population in the Middle East]], but their population dwindled, after virtually all of them migrated to [[Israel]] between 1949 and 1952. From 1949 to 1951, 104,000 Jews were evacuated from Iraq in Operations Ezra and Nechemia (named after the Jewish leaders who took their people back to Jerusalem from exile in Babylonia beginning in 597 B.C.E.); another 20,000 were smuggled out through Iran.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/01/world/middleeast/01babylon.html|title=Baghdad Jews Have Become a Fearful Few|access-date=2010-12-10|work=[[The New York Times]]|first=Stephen|last=Farrell|date=2008-06-01|archive-date=2017-09-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902184451/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/01/world/middleeast/01babylon.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1647740,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930135229/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1647740,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 30, 2007|title=The Last Jews of Baghdad|date=2007-07-27|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=2010-12-15|first=David|last=Van Biema}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Jews in Islamic Countries: Iraq|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/iraqijews.html|access-date=2015-11-04|archive-date=2017-01-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170119020143/http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/iraqijews.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Diaspora==
{{Main|Iraqi diaspora|Refugees of Iraq}}
The [[Iraqi diaspora]] is not a sudden exodus but one that has grown rapidly through the 20th century as each generation faced some form of radical transition or political conflict. From 1950 to 1952, Iraq saw a great exodus of roughly 120,000–130,000 of its Jewish population under the Israel-led "[[Operation Ezra and Nehemiah]]". There were at least two large waves of expatriation of both Christians and Muslims alike. A great number of Iraqis left the country during the regime of [[Saddam Hussein]] and large numbers have left during the [[Iraq War|Iraq war]] and its aftermath.

==See also==
* [[Demographics of Iraq]]
* [[List of Iraqis]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2010/nov/10/ancient-world-mesopotamia Mesopotamia: Birthplace of civilisation]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090227125033/http://www.irisprojects.umd.edu/ppc_ideas/Iraq_Assessment/Secure/full_paper.pdf Iraqi identity - Forces for Integration/ Divisiveness]

{{Demographics of Iraq}}
{{Iraq topics}}
{{Iraqi diaspora}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iraqi People}}
[[Category:Iraqi people| ]]
[[Category:Society of Iraq|People]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in the Middle East]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Iraq]]
[[Category:Arab people]]