Iraq — Protracted Displacement Study: District of Origin Profiles (August 2021)

In April 2019, the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) Unit in Iraq published a report, “An In-Depth Analysis of the Main Districts of Origin.” The aim of this report was to complement the information in a separate in-depth analysis of return barriers faced by IDPs, presented in the report “Reasons to Remain: Categorizing Protracted Displacement in Iraq,” which was published in November 2018.

In January 2021, IOM produced an updated in-depth report on return barriers, “Protracted Displacement in Iraq: Revisiting Categories of Return Barriers.” This report drew on data that had been collected since November 2018 in locations of displacement and return, and is centered on a categorization framework highlighting the different reasons why the remaining 1.2 million IDPs remained in displacement at that time. This report highlighted the key return barriers faced by IDPs in the eight governorates of displacement, and identified key challenges faced by returnees that would likely represent return barriers in the 8 governorates of return/origin. However, the data included in this report was reported on based on the locations where IDPs are displaced. As such, a gap in updated information has remained related to how conditions of IDPs vary according to the districts from which they originate – including factors affecting their prospects of returning home – as well as the conditions faced by returnees who have arrived back to these districts.

As at 30 April 2021, a total of 1,198,940 IDP individuals remain displaced across 18 governorates and 105 districts. However, 95 per cent of this group originate from just 25 districts within 8 governorates. To address a gap of up-to-date information at district level and provide an update of the report published in April 2019, DTM developed this report, which is based on an analysis of 17 of the main districts from which IDPs originate across a range of quantitative indicators.