180 countries ranked by safety, peace, freedom and LGBT+ equality
Visiting: Not RecommendedLGBT+ visiting: Not Recommended
Writing was invented here. Babylon, the reed-bed marshes of Mesopotamia and Erbil's ancient citadel would anchor the trip of a lifetime, and the Kurdish north has genuinely restarted tourism. The rest of the country is still too violent to wander, so anything beyond Kurdistan means organised, security-briefed travel. Homosexuality is illegal — LGBT+ travellers should stay away.
Intentional homicides per 100,000 people — lower is better.
Iraq: 12.6
Ranked 23rd in the world for the highest homicide rate.
An estimated 12.59 homicides per 100,000 people — a high rate by any standard. The 2021 estimate is the freshest figure that exists.
Higher than 83% of the 230 countries and territories measured.
How peaceful the country is — lower is better.
Iraq: 2.9
Ranked 17th least peaceful country in the world.
More peaceful than 10% of the 163 countries ranked, scoring 2.862.
Up 3 places since 2024.
Personal and economic freedom — higher is better.
Iraq: 4.9
Ranked 25th least free country in the world.
Less free than 90% of the 165 countries measured — 4.92 out of 10.
Day-to-day life (speech, movement, religion) scores 4.61; doing business and owning property, 5.37.
LGBT+ equality in law and daily life — higher is better.
Iraq: Illegal
Ranked 55th least equal in the world for LGBT+ people.
Homosexuality is criminalised here; the law sets out imprisonment with no codified maximum.
Public attitudes score 22 out of 100 — the law and public opinion are not the same thing.