Iraq

Level criticalupdated 4 min ago
Open alert types
Wildfire
What governments advise19 states tracked
4 nothing to report1 advise against non-essential travel14 advise against all travel
Mira Safe's take

Strongly advised against right now — follow official advisories.

2alerts in progress15 / 19states advise against travel506events over 12 months
HighCritical

What are the main risks in Iraq?

Over the last 12 months, our sensors recorded 506 events there, including 129 severe. The most frequent: Wildfire, Armed attack, Internet outage.

Is there a government travel advisory for Iraq?

Yes — of the 19 governments we track, 15 advise against travel and 0 urge extra caution. The detail is in the security section below.

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Iraq: current alerts and safety news

The alerts open right now, all sources combined — weather, seismic, satellite, health and state advisories.

US travel advisory — Iraq - Level 4: Do Not Travel

4 months ago · 18 sources

Critical

Fire detected by satellite — ناحية مرکز قضاء العمارة (201 hotspots)

2 days ago · NASA FIRMS

High

Being verified

We detected the following events, but they are not yet reliable enough to qualify as alerts — they are awaiting confirmation from an official source. A report is not an established fact.

Last 90 days

  • Calm
  • Moderate / High
  • Critical
  • N/A
July 15October 12

Colour = the country level observed that day (highest of the day). N/A: before our records began.

Is it safe to travel to Iraq?

The United Kingdom's foreign ministry advises against travel here: against all travel to some areas of the country, and against all but essential travel to others. That advice targets certain areas, not the whole map. We place the country at the top of our scale, 4 out of 4. Over the last 12 months we recorded 183 events, 18 of them severe. Fires make up most of that count, 166 events with 12 severe, and they do have a season: the year piles into July and August, 80 and 93 events, while December, January and February hold one each. Volume is not weight. Six conflict events were logged, one of them severe, and they carry the highest stakes of anything we track here. Three earthquakes, none severe, with no season at all. Three floods, none severe, in their own season.

What it changes for a nomad

While a state advises against travel, coming here is not an ordinary booking decision, and the advice covers specific areas you need to read before you commit to a base. Summer is when the record fills: fires drive the July and August load, which can mean smoke and roads closed at short notice. The winter months are the quietest we measured, one event each. For the work itself, four internet outages were logged over the last 12 months, all rated severe by us — a local SIM on a second network, and a plan for a day offline, turns a lost deadline into a slow one. Earthquakes are recorded here and follow no season, so the building you sleep in matters more than the month you choose. Conflict is rare in our count and heavy in consequence; treat it as the reason to stay flexible on movement between cities.

Written with the help of AI from Mira Safe's sourced data on August 23, 2026 · does not replace local guidance How this analysis is produced →

1 earlier analysis

  1. August 21, 2026

    Over the last 12 months, Iraq has experienced a high number of wildfires, totaling 155 events, with 8 being severe. There was also a single severe travel advisory and a few floods, earthquakes, and conflicts. Most hazards happen in the summer months, especially August and July, when wildfire activity peaks. The country is currently under a travel advisory from the UK FCDO, which recommends avoiding all travel to some areas and only essential travel elsewhere. No recent major events or aftershocks are recorded, but the wildfire season can be intense. The risk of conflict remains high, with 6 recorded events, 1 of which was severe, and the stakes are significant if you are caught in a conflict zone. Infrastructure and services may be strained during severe wildfire periods or after major events.

To watch right now

  • Three alerts are open right now — check what they cover before moving between cities.
  • The travel advice sits at its strongest wording and is among the most recent severe records we hold.
  • Two of the latest significant records are fires; smoke and closed roads can still be around them.

To watch as a rule

  • Fires through July and August, the two busiest months we measured.
  • Floods in their season, few recorded and none severe over the last 12 months.
  • Earthquakes, which follow no season: three recorded, none severe.
  • Conflict events — six over the last 12 months, one severe, and the highest stakes we record here.

Good reflexes

  • Reread the UK notice the week you travel and check exactly which areas it covers.
  • Keep two mobile networks on your phone and maps downloaded offline before you need them.
  • In July and August, check fire and road status before any drive outside the city.
  • Ask where the stairs are in the building you sleep in, and keep shoes and a light near the bed.
  • Leave your route and your dates with someone who will notice if you go quiet.

Iraq: travel advisories and areas to avoid

What the 19 tracked governments officially advise for this country — converging or not. The everyday reference.

Reconsider travel
Converging advisories fromAustraliaAustriaCanadaUnited Kingdom (FCDO)FinlandFrance (Quai d'Orsay)Germany (Auswärtiges Amt)IrelandItalyJapanSouth KoreaNetherlandsNew ZealandPolandSpainSwedenSwitzerlandUS State Department

the official notice lists the areas concerned

Zones cited by government advisories

Advised against (all travel)

  • Diyala
  • Ninawa
  • Al-Anbar
  • Sala ad-Din
  • Kirkuk
  • Dihok
  • As-Sulaymaniyah
  • At-Ta'mim
  • Baghdad
  • Babil
  • Mosul
  • As Sulaymaniyah
  • Al-Muthannia
  • An-Najaf
  • Arbil
  • Karbala'
  • Wasit
  • Dahuk
  • Baghdad
  • Irbil
  • Karbala

Except: Irbil

Advised against unless essential

  • Al-Basrah
  • Al-Qadisiyah
  • Arbil
  • As-Sulaymaniyah
  • Dhi-Qar
  • Dihok
  • Maysan
  • Al-Muthannia
  • An-Najaf
  • Wasit
  • Irbil
  • Babil
  • Baghdad
  • Karbala'
  • Basra
  • An Najaf
  • Al Hillah
  • As Sulaymaniyah
  • Dahuk

Flags show which of the tracked governments cite each zone. Red takes precedence over orange.

Avoid all travel (French advisory)

  • In border areas, it is formally advised: • not to approach the borders of Syria, given the security situation in that country; • not to travel to the mountainous areas in the north of the country, near the Turkish and Iranian borders, pa

Translated from the French advisory — hover a line to read the official wording.

Read the official notice ↗
  • Advised against by 4+ states
  • Advised against by 1 state
  • Advised against unless essential
  • Cities excluded from the zone

Iraq: quality of life and safety in figures

Everyday living conditions, on the few indicators published for every country in the world. Background for a stay — not what is happening today.

Favourable vs the world median

  • New displacements, conflict: 0.45 per 1,000 people (median 0.48)

Watch out vs the world median

  • Air quality (PM2.5): 49.5 µg/m³ (median 17.3)
  • Safely managed drinking water: 59.8 % of the population (median 80.5)
  • Road deaths: 27.3 per 100,000 people (median 15.2)
  • Physicians: 1 per 1,000 people (median 1.7)
  • Hospital beds: 1.1 per 1,000 people (median 2.4)
  • Life expectancy at birth: 72.4 years (median 74.7)
  • New displacements, disasters: 0.77 per 1,000 people (median 0.73)
Air quality (PM2.5)
49.5µg/m³ · 2023

Above the world median (17.3) · lower is better

WHO guideline: 5 µg/m³

Safely managed drinking water
59.8% of the population · 2024

Below the world median (80.5) · higher is better

Road deaths
27.3per 100,000 people · 2019

Above the world median (15.2) · lower is better

Physicians
1per 1,000 people · 2022

Below the world median (1.7) · higher is better

Hospital beds
1.1per 1,000 people · 2018

Below the world median (2.4) · higher is better

Life expectancy at birth
72.4years · 2024

Below the world median (74.7) · higher is better

New displacements, conflict
0.45per 1,000 people · 2023

Below the world median (0.48) · lower is better

21,000 people in total

New displacements, disasters
0.77per 1,000 people · 2023

Above the world median (0.73) · lower is better

36,000 people in total

Refugees hosted
6.9per 1,000 people · 2025

322,345 people in total

23,366 asylum seekers

People living in internal displacement
997,334people · 2025

Security and violence

Structural risk (INFORM) · 2026

5.7/10 — high

Composite index by the JRC (European Commission): hazards & exposure, vulnerability, coping capacity. Structural background — not today's alerts.

185documented deaths from organized armed violence, last 12 months

Source: UCDP (Uppsala University), CC BY 4.0 — academic records published 1–3 months later, through 2026-06. Not a live indicator.

Homicides are the only crime figure that exists worldwide under an open licence. It says nothing about theft or scams — no reliable worldwide data exists for those; official state advisories are the honest day-to-day reference.

National figures, published once a year and often a few years behind: an order of magnitude for daily life, never the situation right now. Sources: World Bank (CC BY 4.0) · UNHCR

Iraq: natural disasters and risks in figures

Last 30 days · 169 events

Eventsof which severe
  • Wildfire14734 34 severe
  • Internet outage1212 12 severe
  • Armed attack92 2 severe
  • Armed conflict1

Last 12 months · 506 events

Eventsof which severe
  • Wildfire41359 59 severe
  • Armed attack4639 39 severe
  • Internet outage2929 29 severe
  • Armed conflict71 1 severe
  • Earthquake6
  • Flood3
  • Travel advisory11 1 severe
  • Risk1

By month

Eventsof which severe
11
12
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
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What travellers lived

What people who stayed there report. A feeling is not a risk level: these figures complement official data, they don't replace it.

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Only ever published as anonymous aggregates, from 5 responses onward.

Mira informs you. Mira is not an emergency service — in an emergency, call local emergency services. Some of this page's content is generated with the help of AI from sourced, quantified data.

Go further

Humanitarian response under way

Operations run by humanitarian organisations in the country — context about the situation on the ground, not alerts.

  • IFRC humanitarian operation — Iraq - Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever

    Emergency fund (DREF) · since Jun 20, 2026 · planned until Dec 31, 2026

    IFRC GO ↗

Situation reports

Latest situation reports published by humanitarian organisations for this country — via ReliefWeb (UN OCHA, CC BY).

Cities and destinations

The country's 14 regions

More countries in this region (Middle East)

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