Health in Basra, Iraq: official figures
The Ministry of Health counted 27 hospitals in Basra in 2023: 17 government hospitals (including specialised centres with beds) and 10 private. That is 0.82 hospitals per 100,000 people, 7th lowest of 18 governorates.
How many hospital beds are there in Basra?
Government hospitals in Basra had 4,891 beds in 2023, of which 4,081 were set up for inpatients. That works out at 1.48 beds per 1,000 people, 3rd highest of 18 governorates, against 1.24 across Iraq.
Source: Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department) · saved copyHow full are the hospitals in Basra?
On average 47.8% of the prepared beds in Basra's government hospitals were occupied in 2023, 8th lowest of 18 governorates.
Source: Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department) · saved copyHow many primary health care centres are there in Basra?
There were 144 primary health care centres in Basra in 2023, or 4.4 per 100,000 people (2nd lowest of 18 governorates).
Source: Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department) · saved copyHow many doctors are there in Basra?
Basra had 2,583 doctors working for the Ministry of Health or seconded to it in 2023, 7.8 per 10,000 people (3rd lowest of 18 governorates); the Iraq-wide figure was 11.1.
Source: Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department) · saved copyWhere are babies born in Basra?
82,886 births took place inside health facilities in Basra in 2023: 83.3% in government hospitals, 14.8% in private hospitals and 1.9% in primary care centres.
Source: Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department) · saved copyWhat is the maternal mortality rate in Basra?
The Ministry of Health recorded 39 maternal deaths in Basra in 2023 among 86,148 live births, a ratio of 45.3 per 100,000 live births (2nd highest of 18 governorates); Iraq-wide the ratio was 29.6.
Source: Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department) · saved copyHow many tuberculosis cases are there in Basra?
540 tuberculosis cases were notified in Basra in 2023, 16.3 per 100,000 people (6th highest of 18 governorates), against 15.6 across Iraq. Rates use the 2023 population estimate.
Source: Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department) · saved copyHow many babies are vaccinated in Basra?
In 2023 96% of the target number of infants in Basra received the third dose of polio vaccine and 91% received BCG (tuberculosis) vaccine; the Iraq figures were 91% and 93%.
Source: Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department) · saved copyHow common is child malnutrition in Basra?
19.6% of people in Basra lived in a household with a deprivation in child nutrition in 2024 (a measure used in Iraq's national multidimensional poverty index), against 20.5% across Iraq.
Source: Ministry of Planning and Commission of Statistics and Geographic Information Systems, with UNDP and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) · saved copyHow Basra compares with other governorates
Hospitals per 100,000 people (2023) (2023)
Basra ranks 12 of 18, highest first. Government and private hospitals counted by the Ministry of Health, divided by the 2023 population estimate
| Rank | Region | Hospitals per 100,000 people (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Al-Qadisiyah | 0.95 |
| 10 | Anbar | 0.94 |
| 11 | Salah al-Din | 0.83 |
| 12 | Basra | 0.82 |
| 13 | Kirkuk | 0.72 |
| 14 | Diyala | 0.71 |
| 15 | Wasit | 0.70 |
Government hospital beds per 1,000 people (2023) (2023)
Basra ranks 3 of 18, highest first. All beds in government hospitals, divided by the 2023 population estimate
| Rank | Region | Government hospital beds per 1,000 people (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Najaf | 2.00 |
| 2 | Karbala | 1.72 |
| 3 | Basra | 1.48 |
| 4 | Baghdad | 1.42 |
| 5 | Babil | 1.40 |
| 6 | Erbil | 1.36 |
| 7 | Al-Muthanna | 1.31 |
Doctors per 10,000 people (2023) (2023)
Basra ranks 16 of 18, highest first. Physicians on the Ministry of Health payroll plus those seconded from the Ministry of Higher Education
| Rank | Region | Doctors per 10,000 people (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Kirkuk | 8.8 |
| 13 | Salah al-Din | 8.6 |
| 14 | Nineveh | 8.0 |
| 15 | Diyala | 7.9 |
| 16 | Basra | 7.8 |
| 17 | Wasit | 7.5 |
| 18 | Dhi Qar | 6.4 |
Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (2023) (2023)
Basra ranks 2 of 18, highest first. Deaths recorded by the Ministry of Health; small numbers make yearly changes large
| Rank | Region | Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diyala | 45.6 |
| 2 | Basra | 45.3 |
| 3 | Najaf | 37.5 |
| 4 | Baghdad | 36.3 |
| 5 | Maysan | 35.3 |
| 6 | Dhi Qar | 34.8 |
| 7 | Al-Muthanna | 34.2 |
Infants given the third polio dose (OPV3), % of target (2023) (2023)
Basra ranks 6 of 17, highest first. Baghdad is not included because the Ministry reports its Karkh and Rusafa health directorates separately
| Rank | Region | Infants given the third polio dose (OPV3), % of target (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Babil | 100% |
| 4 | Diyala | 99% |
| 5 | Anbar | 99% |
| 6 | Basra | 96% |
| 7 | Kirkuk | 95% |
| 8 | Salah al-Din | 95% |
| 9 | Maysan | 93% |
More on Basra: overview · economy and jobs · education and schools · poverty and living standards · government budget · Iraq
Sources
- Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department): Annual Statistical Report 2023 (tables 1-1, 3-4, 3-43, 4-1, 4-11, 4-15, 5-1, 5-3, 5-2, 6-3), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 b0bd2930683c…)
- Ministry of Planning and Commission of Statistics and Geographic Information Systems, with UNDP and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI): Multidimensional Poverty in Iraq 2024: Analytical Report (Table 4, Table 16, Annex 2, Annex 3), based on the Iraq Household Socio-Economic Survey 2023-24, read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 2918b603f085…)
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