Youth in Iraq are individuals that are between 15–24 years old. Youth represent 19.6% of

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

’s population of 32 million. The median age is 21 years. The population continues to rise, as mass migration known as the Iraq diaspora has occurred. The youth population have experienced poor health from the effects of both

malnutrition Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues a ...

and

poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...

. Securing employment is difficult for youth in Iraq. The youth

dependency ratio The dependency ratio is an age-population ratio of those typically not in the labor force (the ''dependent'' part ages 0 to 14 and 65+) and those typically in the labor force (the ''productive'' part ages 15 to 64). It is used to measure the press ...

is 70.6%. The minimum age one can be considered an adult after committing a crime is seven.

Leisure

The

National Youth Orchestra of Iraq The National Youth Orchestra of Iraq (NYOI) is a youth orchestra comprising musicians from different parts of Iraq. The members are aged between 14 and 29 years. They are selected every autumn-winter through a process of online and video auditio ...

was formed due to the interest of youth pianist,

Zuhal Sultan Zuhal Sultan ( ar, زحل سلطان; born 1991 in Baghdad, Iraq) is an Iraqi pianist and activist. She founded the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq at the age of 17. Early life and music Born in Baghdad, Iraq, in July 1991, Zuhal Sultan is th ...

. Since forming in 2008, they have performed in numerous countries and hold auditions via YouTube annually. Dambala is a game that resembles the popular Western-style game,

bingo Bingo or B-I-N-G-O may refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * Bingo, a game using a printed card of numbers ** Bingo (British version), a game using a printed card of 15 numbers on three lines; most commonly played in the UK and Ireland ** Bi ...

. Players can earn cash and prizes in Dambala. The popularity of the game has resulted in many Iraqi youth's participation. Dambala is played in clubs and bars. Western-style is being emulated by youth in Iraq. For both male and female youth, tattoos are gaining popularity as well as the clothing that is worn.

Employment

Iraqi youth unemployment rates have increased. There are over 1 million unemployed Iraqi youth. Those who graduate with a university education are finding it difficult to find employment. 80% of recent graduates are listed as unemployed.

Health

The Iraqi Diaspora has resulted in the decline of health

infrastructures Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and priv ...

Malnutrition Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues a ...

is an issue for Iraqi youth. There are over 1.5 million suffering from its effects. 3.5 million individuals are living in

poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...

. A decrease in the

infant mortality Infant mortality is the death of young children under the age of 1. This death toll is measured by the infant mortality rate (IMR), which is the probability of deaths of children under one year of age per 1000 live births. The under-five morta ...

rate has been seen over the past few decades. This rate dropped from over 40 infant deaths in 2010 per 1000 births, to under 35 per 1000 births in the 1980s. The mortality rates for Iraqi children under the age of 5 has also decreased. This rate dropped from 60 deaths per 1000 in the 1980s, to under 40 by 2010. In the

Kurdistan Kurdistan ( ku, کوردستان ,Kurdistan ; lit. "land of the Kurds") or Greater Kurdistan is a roughly defined geo-cultural territory in Western Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, Kurdish la ...

region there is a high rate of

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

among female youth. Female youth in

arranged marriages Arranged marriage is a type of marital union where the bride and groom are primarily selected by individuals other than the couple themselves, particularly by family members such as the parents. In some cultures a professional matchmaker may be us ...

having higher rates of incidence. Many of them commit suicide as a sacrifice for their strong beliefs. This is called

self-immolation The term self-immolation broadly refers to acts of altruistic suicide, otherwise the giving up of one's body in an act of sacrifice. However, it most often refers specifically to autocremation, the act of sacrificing oneself by setting oneself o ...

. In the city of

Sindar In J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium, the Elves or Quendi are a sundered (divided) people. They awoke at Cuiviénen on the continent of Middle-earth, where they were divided into three tribes: Minyar (the Firsts), Tatyar (the Seconds) and Nelyar ( ...

, the rate of suicides have doubled in comparison with the rate of suicide in the US.

References

{{Asia topic, Youth in