Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme and of the United Nations Population Fund

Iraq has a well-educated and skilled population, oil revenues and large amounts of agricultural land. However, three decades of war, internal and government turmoil, economic sanctions, population displacements, the marginalization of women, and a high incidence of mortality and disability have hindered development. Development indicators have deteriorated. Life expectancy dropped from 62.5 years in 1995 to 58 years in 2005. Since 2006, over 1.6 million persons have been internally displaced, and another 2 million sought refuge outside Iraq. Twenty-three per cent of the population lives under the poverty line (36 per cent in rural areas).