Poverty and living standards in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq: official figures
7.9% of people in Sulaymaniyah lived below the national poverty line in 2024, 2nd lowest of 18 governorates and against 17.5% for Iraq.
Has poverty in Sulaymaniyah risen or fallen?
The income poverty rate in Sulaymaniyah was 3.3% in 2007, 2.0% in 2012, 4.5% in 2018 and 7.9% in 2024, up 3.4 percentage points since 2018 (Iraq: 20.1% to 17.5%).
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 many people in Sulaymaniyah are multidimensionally poor?
38.6% of people in Sulaymaniyah were multidimensionally poor in 2024, deprived in at least a fifth of the weighted indicators covering education, health, living standards, employment and shocks. That is 9th lowest of 18 governorates; the Iraq figure was 36.8%.
Source: Ministry of Planning and Commission of Statistics and Geographic Information Systems, with UNDP and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) · saved copyWhat is the multidimensional poverty index of Sulaymaniyah?
Sulaymaniyah's Multidimensional Poverty Index value was 0.102 in 2024 (6th lowest of 18 governorates), against 0.108 for Iraq. On average poor people there were deprived in 26.4% of the weighted indicators.
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 common is early marriage in Sulaymaniyah?
14.4% of people in Sulaymaniyah were deprived on early marriage in 2024, an indicator in Iraq's multidimensional poverty index, against 25.7% across Iraq (2nd lowest of 18 governorates).
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 Sulaymaniyah compares with other governorate of the Kurdistan Regions
Income poverty rate (2024) (2024)
Sulaymaniyah ranks 17 of 18, highest first. Share of people living below the national poverty line, Iraq Household Socio-Economic Survey 2023-24
| Rank | Region | Income poverty rate (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Maysan | 16.3% |
| 13 | Duhok | 14.8% |
| 14 | Dhi Qar | 14.2% |
| 15 | Baghdad | 13.5% |
| 16 | Kirkuk | 9.5% |
| 17 | Sulaymaniyah | 7.9% |
| 18 | Erbil | 5.9% |
People living in multidimensional poverty (2024) (2024)
Sulaymaniyah ranks 10 of 18, highest first. Share of people deprived in at least 20% of the weighted indicators (education, health, living standards, employment, shocks)
| Rank | Region | People living in multidimensional poverty (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Nineveh | 40.7% |
| 8 | Najaf | 40.4% |
| 9 | Anbar | 40.0% |
| 10 | Sulaymaniyah | 38.6% |
| 11 | Wasit | 37.0% |
| 12 | Erbil | 36.4% |
| 13 | Basra | 35.7% |
Multidimensional Poverty Index value (2024) (2024)
Sulaymaniyah ranks 13 of 18, highest first. Incidence multiplied by intensity; 0 is no poverty, 1 is everyone deprived in everything
| Rank | Region | Multidimensional Poverty Index value (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Wasit | 0.106 |
| 11 | Basra | 0.104 |
| 12 | Erbil | 0.104 |
| 13 | Sulaymaniyah | 0.102 |
| 14 | Karbala | 0.097 |
| 15 | Dhi Qar | 0.089 |
| 16 | Diyala | 0.089 |
More on Sulaymaniyah: overview · economy and jobs · health · Iraq
Sources
- 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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