Shafaq News..Fewer children signal shift in Iraq’s family model

On Aug 23, 2026

2026-08-23T21:58:27+00:00

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Rising living costs and changing attitudes toward marriage
and parenthood are leading more Iraqis to favor smaller families, as women
weigh childcare expenses, work demands, health concerns, and the ability to
provide a stable life for their children, experts and parents told Shafaq News.

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) adviser Mahdi Al-Alaq
put Iraq’s current population growth rate at 2.51% earlier this month, down
from about 3% over the past two decades but still above the global average of
1.1%.

Gynecologist Dr. Nidal Al-Baghdadi told Shafaq News that
women averaged six to seven births in the 1980s, compared with around three
today, linking the decline to later marriages and greater awareness among women
of the responsibilities involved in raising children and meeting their needs.
Birth rates nevertheless remain relatively high in rural areas, she noted,
partly because of prevailing social traditions.

Medical conditions can also hinder pregnancy, including
polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, blocked fallopian tubes, and pelvic
congestion. Psychological problems can contribute to delayed marriage, she
added, while dietary factors and obesity may affect women’s reproductive health
and require treatment programs and broader health strategies.

For working mothers, employment adds another layer of
pressure. “The burdens of life today do not allow for more than two children,”
government employee Zainab Al-Rikabi told Shafaq News, citing exhaustion,
limited time, and the challenge of combining work with childcare.

Al-Rikabi put the monthly cost of caring for a one-year-old
at more than 500,000 Iraqi dinars ($380). Her 18-month-old child’s nursery
costs 400,000 dinars ($304) a month, with another 100,000 dinars ($76) for
transportation, before expenses for milk, clothing, and other needs.

Beyond the financial burden, raising children now requires
greater attention amid their exposure to screens and influences outside the
home and at schools, according to Al-Rikabi.

Economic considerations have also shaped decisions for Saif
Al-Sarrai, a father of two, who told Shafaq News that he had reconsidered
expanding his family as the costs of nursery, education, food, clothing, and
healthcare mount.

“Many Iraqi families are now looking at the quality of life
they can provide their children, not just the number of children,” he said,
arguing that smaller families allow parents to devote greater attention and
resources to each child.

Social psychology researcher Manahil Al-Saleh attributed the
preference for smaller families to psychological pressure, anxiety about the
future, and difficulties balancing work and family life. These factors are
prompting many couples to delay marriage or have fewer children.

For a broad segment of families, having children has become
a “calculated decision” tied to their ability to provide an adequate standard
of living, Al-Saleh explained, adding that continued pressures could further
entrench the smaller-family model in Iraqi society.

From an economic perspective, slower population growth can
reduce pressure on the state budget, economic expert Hassan Al-Attabi told
Shafaq News, although he stressed that Iraq’s recent decline remains too
limited to noticeably ease demands on public finances and resources.

Al-Attabi argued that if the decline continues steadily over
the next decade, it could ease future economic and service pressures. With
public spending currently outpacing resources in Iraq’s oil-dependent economy,
he stressed that slower population growth would need to be accompanied by
genuine development of other sectors, including industry, agriculture, tourism,
and border crossings.

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