25% of Iraqis – 11M People – Live Below Poverty Line, Planning Ministry Says

The poverty rate in Iraq was 25% or about 11 million people in 2022, according to the country’s Ministry of Planning. The state-run Iraqi News Agency quoted a ministry spokesman as saying that the reasons for the high poverty rate include repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic and the economic crisis that resulted from the drop in oil prices. The ministry spokesman said that the government has supported those affected by the level of poverty in Iraq by raising some salaries and by improving the system for ration cards. The spokesman noted that Iraq faces significant challenges, including problems in the political and security sectors, economic instability, social unrest caused by high unemployment, eroded public services, and persistent low standards of living. The United Nations Population Fund in Iraq last month announced a new strategy to end half of all poverty in Iraq by 2030, through 17 sustainable development goals.