Iraqi security forces detain a protester on a highway between Saqlawiyah and Fallujah in Anbar governorate, Feb. 25, 2026, as black smoke rises from burning vehicles following a deadly multi-vehicle collision.
Iraq records more than 500,000 traffic injuries and nearly 14,000 deaths over three years
BAGHDAD — Iraq recorded more than 500,000 traffic injuries and nearly 14,000 deaths between 2023 and 2025, Health Ministry spokesperson Saif al-Badr said, describing the toll as a heavy burden on the country’s health sector.
Al-Badr told journalist Karim Hammadi that injuries reached 175,455 in 2023, including 5,400 deaths, rising to 192,000 in 2024 with 4,550 deaths before falling to 154,355 in 2025 with 3,919 deaths. Youth are the most affected age group, he said.
“The single injury resulting from a traffic accident costs the state an average of $20,000,” al-Badr said, describing the figures as a substantial financial strain on the Health Ministry and the government.
He also called for deterrent measures against firework-related injuries, which he said “can be easily prevented.”
The figures come days after a collision on the highway between Saqlawiyah and central Fallujah in Anbar killed 13 people and injured five on Wednesday. Eight of the dead were found charred after a fire broke out inside one of the vehicles. SWAT patrols transported the wounded to Fallujah Teaching Hospital and authorities have opened an investigation.