Iraq is ranked 37th worldwide in traffic accident rates, according to the Iraqi Strategic Center for Human Rights (SCHR). The Center’s head, Fadel Gharawi, reported that Iraq is on track to record a total of 15,000 traffic accidents for the period of 2023–2024.

In 2023 alone, Iraq saw 12,000 traffic accidents, with an additional 3,000 incidents recorded by mid-2024, according to data from the General Directorate of Traffic, the Forensic Medicine Directorate, and the Ministry of Planning.

The 2023 accidents resulted in 3,019 fatalities, with men making up 81.9% (2,472) of the victims, while women accounted for 18.1% (547). These numbers reflect a minor decrease of 0.1% compared to 2022, which saw 3,021 fatalities and 12,314 injuries due to traffic-related incidents.

As of mid-2024, there have been an estimated 1,000 fatalities and 4,000 injuries from traffic accidents.

Gharawi attributed the primary cause of these incidents to driver error, responsible for 79.2% of accidents, followed by vehicle issues at 8.1%, and poor road conditions at 6.2%. Other miscellaneous factors comprised the remaining 6.5%.

The Strategic Center has called for stronger measures to address driver behavior and vehicle safety standards, as well as for improvements to road infrastructure to reduce the high rate of traffic accidents in Iraq.