Health in Nineveh, Iraq: official figures

The Ministry of Health counted 26 hospitals in Nineveh in 2023: 21 government hospitals (including specialised centres with beds) and 5 private. That is 0.61 hospitals per 100,000 people, the lowest of 18 governorates.

How many hospital beds are there in Nineveh?

Government hospitals in Nineveh had 3,023 beds in 2023, of which 2,816 were set up for inpatients. That works out at 0.71 beds per 1,000 people, the lowest of 18 governorates, against 1.24 across Iraq.

Source: Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department) · saved copy

How full are the hospitals in Nineveh?

On average 56.3% of the prepared beds in Nineveh's government hospitals were occupied in 2023, 5th highest of 18 governorates.

Source: Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department) · saved copy

How many primary health care centres are there in Nineveh?

There were 241 primary health care centres in Nineveh in 2023, or 5.7 per 100,000 people (7th lowest of 18 governorates).

Source: Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department) · saved copy

How many doctors are there in Nineveh?

Nineveh had 3,373 doctors working for the Ministry of Health or seconded to it in 2023, 8.0 per 10,000 people (5th lowest of 18 governorates); the Iraq-wide figure was 11.1.

Source: Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department) · saved copy

Where are babies born in Nineveh?

63,803 births took place inside health facilities in Nineveh in 2023: 86.2% in government hospitals, 12.4% in private hospitals and 1.4% in primary care centres.

Source: Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department) · saved copy

What is the maternal mortality rate in Nineveh?

The Ministry of Health recorded 19 maternal deaths in Nineveh in 2023 among 91,545 live births, a ratio of 20.8 per 100,000 live births (5th lowest of 18 governorates); Iraq-wide the ratio was 29.6.

Source: Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department) · saved copy

How many tuberculosis cases are there in Nineveh?

333 tuberculosis cases were notified in Nineveh in 2023, 7.9 per 100,000 people (3rd 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 copy

How many babies are vaccinated in Nineveh?

In 2023 83% of the target number of infants in Nineveh 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 copy

How common is child malnutrition in Nineveh?

24.0% of people in Nineveh 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 copy

How Nineveh compares with other governorates

Hospitals per 100,000 people (2023) (2023)

Nineveh ranks 18 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)
12	Basra	0.82
13	Kirkuk	0.72
14	Diyala	0.71
15	Wasit	0.70
16	Dhi Qar	0.67
17	Al-Muthanna	0.65
18	Nineveh	0.61

Source: Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department) · saved copy

Government hospital beds per 1,000 people (2023) (2023)

Nineveh ranks 18 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)
12	Wasit	1.12
13	Anbar	1.12
14	Dhi Qar	1.04
15	Salah al-Din	0.92
16	Kirkuk	0.90
17	Diyala	0.88
18	Nineveh	0.71

Source: Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department) · saved copy

Doctors per 10,000 people (2023) (2023)

Nineveh ranks 14 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)
11	Maysan	8.9
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

Source: Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department) · saved copy

Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (2023) (2023)

Nineveh ranks 14 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)
11	Al-Qadisiyah	25.4
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

Source: Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department) · saved copy

Infants given the third polio dose (OPV3), % of target (2023) (2023)

Nineveh ranks 16 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%

Source: Ministry of Health, Iraq (Planning and Resources Development Department) · saved copy

More on Nineveh: 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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