Most Iraqis live in urban areas, including Baghdad, the capital, the largest city. In recent years many rural people have moved to the larger urban centers, straining the government's ability to provide social services and causing unemployment, particularly among men 20 to 25 years old.

The Kurds, who inhabit the area north and northwest of Mosul, are followers of Islam and share a similar cultural heritage with the Arab population of Iraq. They have a distinctive history, however, and speak Kurdish, a member of the Indo-Iranian, rather than Semitic, family of languages. They have tried to assert their national identity and have demanded cultural and political autonomy, but was not allowed by the government.