Health in Erbil, Iraq: official figures
The Ministry of Health counted 59 hospitals in Erbil in 2023: 28 government hospitals (including specialised centres with beds) and 31 private. That is 2.80 hospitals per 100,000 people, 3rd highest of 18 governorates.
How many hospital beds are there in Erbil?
Government hospitals in Erbil had 2,873 beds in 2023, of which 2,709 were set up for inpatients. That works out at 1.36 beds per 1,000 people, 6th 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 Erbil?
On average 63.0% of the prepared beds in Erbil's government hospitals were occupied in 2023, the highest of 18 governorates.
Source: Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department) · saved copyHow many primary health care centres are there in Erbil?
There were 280 primary health care centres in Erbil in 2023, or 13.3 per 100,000 people (2nd highest of 18 governorates).
Source: Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department) · saved copyHow many doctors are there in Erbil?
Erbil had 4,547 doctors working for the Ministry of Health or seconded to it in 2023, 21.6 per 10,000 people (the highest 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 Erbil?
60,407 births took place inside health facilities in Erbil in 2023: 53.9% in government hospitals, 46.1% in private hospitals and 0.0% in primary care centres.
Source: Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department) · saved copyWhat is the maternal mortality rate in Erbil?
The Ministry of Health recorded 5 maternal deaths in Erbil in 2023 among 56,255 live births, a ratio of 8.9 per 100,000 live births (the lowest 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 Erbil?
212 tuberculosis cases were notified in Erbil in 2023, 10.1 per 100,000 people (5th lowest 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 Erbil?
In 2023 85% of the target number of infants in Erbil received the third dose of polio vaccine and 83% 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 Erbil?
7.3% of people in Erbil 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 Erbil compares with other governorate of the Kurdistan Regions
Hospitals per 100,000 people (2023) (2023)
Erbil ranks 3 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sulaymaniyah | 3.22 |
| 2 | Duhok | 3.00 |
| 3 | Erbil | 2.80 |
| 4 | Najaf | 1.73 |
| 5 | Baghdad | 1.30 |
| 6 | Karbala | 1.23 |
| 7 | Babil | 1.07 |
Government hospital beds per 1,000 people (2023) (2023)
Erbil ranks 6 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Basra | 1.48 |
| 4 | Baghdad | 1.42 |
| 5 | Babil | 1.40 |
| 6 | Erbil | 1.36 |
| 7 | Al-Muthanna | 1.31 |
| 8 | Sulaymaniyah | 1.31 |
| 9 | Duhok | 1.28 |
Doctors per 10,000 people (2023) (2023)
Erbil ranks 1 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erbil | 21.6 |
| 2 | Karbala | 15.6 |
| 3 | Sulaymaniyah | 14.2 |
| 4 | Baghdad | 13.8 |
| 5 | Najaf | 12.8 |
| 6 | Babil | 11.0 |
| 7 | Al-Muthanna | 10.6 |
Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (2023) (2023)
Erbil ranks 18 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Karbala | 24.1 |
| 13 | Babil | 23.4 |
| 14 | Nineveh | 20.8 |
| 15 | Salah al-Din | 16.2 |
| 16 | Duhok | 15.2 |
| 17 | Anbar | 9.6 |
| 18 | Erbil | 8.9 |
Infants given the third polio dose (OPV3), % of target (2023) (2023)
Erbil ranks 15 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) |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Duhok | 92% |
| 12 | Al-Qadisiyah | 89% |
| 13 | Sulaymaniyah | 88% |
| 14 | Karbala | 87% |
| 15 | Erbil | 85% |
| 16 | Nineveh | 83% |
| 17 | Al-Muthanna | 77% |
More on Erbil: overview · economy and jobs · poverty and living standards · 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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