European Asylum Support Office EASO Country of Origin Information Report Iraq Key socio-economic indicators February 2019 SUPPORT IS OUR MISSION European Asylum Support Office EASO Country of Origin Information Report Iraq Key socio-economic indicators February 2019 Neither EASO nor any person acting on its behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained herein. More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). ISBN 978-92-9476-049-4 doi: 10.2847/214118 © European Asylum Support Office (EASO) 2019 Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged, unless otherwise stated. For third-party materials reproduced in this publication, reference is made to the copyright statements of the respective third parties. Cover photo: Carillet, Joel (iStock), 685898768: Ankawa suburb of Erbil, Iraqi Christian IDP camp, 20 May 2017, url EASO COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT IRAQ: KEY SOCIO-ECONOMIC INDICATORS — 3 Acknowledgements This report was co-drafted by the Migration Office of the Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic (Department of Documentation and Foreign Cooperation) together with the EASO COI sector. Furthermore, the following national asylum and migration departments have contributed by reviewing this report together with EASO: Estonia, Estonian Police and Border Guard Board Hungary, Immigration and Asylum Office, Centre for Documentation Additionally, the following individual expert reviewed this report: Dr Geraldine Chatelard, Contemporary Historian and Social Anthropologist. Dr Chatelard is an independent consultant and social scientist currently associated with the Iraq (Erbil) branch of the Institut français du Proche-Orient (French Institute in the Near East). For the past 15 years, she has conducted research and written on migration and displacement issues in the region, including the socio-economic and humanitarian situation in Iraq. Since 2014, she spends on average one third of her time conducting field research in various regions of Iraq (Kurdistan, Baghdad, Najaf, Karbala, Basra and other southern governorates, and more recently Mosul) including on forced displacement, the return and reintegration of migrants and refugees, and the politics of religious identities. The review carried out by the mentioned departments, experts or organisations contributes to the overall quality of the report, but does not necessarily imply their formal endorsement of the final report, which is the full responsibility of EASO. EASO COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT IRAQ: KEY SOCIO-ECONOMIC INDICATORS — 4 Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................... 3 Contents ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Disclaimer .......................................................................................................................................... 7 Glossary and Abbreviations ............................................................................................................... 8 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 10 Methodology............................................................................................................................... 10 Structure and use of the report .................................................................................................. 11 Map ................................................................................................................................................. 12 1. Country overview ........................................................................................................................ 13 1.1. Demographics ................................................................................................................. 13 1.2 Humanitarian context ..................................................................................................... 14 1.2.1 Humanitarian needs ................................................................................................ 15 1.2.2 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and returnees ................................................. 18 1.3 Background information on key cities ............................................................................ 25 1.3.1 Basrah ...................................................................................................................... 25 1.3.2 Erbil.......................................................................................................................... 28 1.3.3 Baghdad ................................................................................................................... 29 2. Economic overview ................................................................................................................. 32 2.1 General ............................................................................................................................ 32 2.2 Conflict damage and reconstruction ............................................................................... 33 2.3 Basrah .............................................................................................................................. 34 2.4 Erbil ................................................................................................................................. 34 2.5 Baghdad ........................................................................................................................... 35 3. Employment and livelihoods .................................................................................................. 36 3.1 General overview ............................................................................................................ 36 3.1.1 Women .................................................................................................................... 37 3.1.2 IDPs and returnees .................................................................................................. 38 3.2 Basrah .............................................................................................................................. 39 3.3 Erbil ................................................................................................................................. 40 3.4 Baghdad ........................................................................................................................... 43 4. Poverty.................................................................................................................................... 45 4.1 General overview ........................................................................................................... 45 EASO COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT IRAQ: KEY SOCIO-ECONOMIC INDICATORS — 5 4.1.1 Women-headed households ................................................................................... 45 4.1.2 Child poverty and child labour ................................................................................ 48 4.1.3 IDPs .......................................................................................................................... 48 4.2 Basrah .............................................................................................................................. 49 4.3 Erbil ................................................................................................................................. 51 4.4 Baghdad ........................................................................................................................... 53 5. Food security/water security.................................................................................................. 55 5.1 General overview ............................................................................................................ 55 5.1.1 IDPs and returnees .................................................................................................. 56 5.2 Basrah .............................................................................................................................. 57 5.3 Erbil ................................................................................................................................. 58 Bagdad ........................................................................................................................................ 60 6. Housing and living conditions ................................................................................................. 62 6.1. General overview ............................................................................................................ 62 6.1.1. IDPs and returnees .................................................................................................. 64 6.2. Basrah .............................................................................................................................. 66 6.3 Erbil ................................................................................................................................. 68 6.4 Baghdad ........................................................................................................................... 70 7. Health ....................................................................................................................................