Quick facts
Sulaymaniyah overview
Sulaymaniyah (orange) and the other large cities of Iraq
Sulaymaniyah lies in Iraq at 35.57°N, 45.43°E, about 847 m above sea level. The local time zone is Asia/Baghdad (UTC+3); GeoNames classifies it as a regional capital.
It is smaller than Kirkuk (1,031,000) and larger than Nasiriyah (558,400). The largest city in Iraq is Baghdad with 7,216,000 people; the capital, Baghdad, has 7,216,000.
The national capital, Baghdad, is about 265 km away; the nearest large city is Qeładizê, 74 km from Sulaymaniyah.
Iraq as a whole has a live population of 48,295,919 (+2.1% a year) and ranks #34 of 238 countries — see the Iraq population page for the full statistics and the Iraq atlas for provinces, terrain and society maps.
Cities near Sulaymaniyah
Largest cities in Iraq
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Sulaymaniyah?
Sulaymaniyah has about 878,146 inhabitants according to the latest official census or estimate compiled by GeoNames. This is the city proper; the metropolitan area is larger.
Is Sulaymaniyah the capital of Iraq?
No. The capital of Iraq is Baghdad (7,216,000 people), about 265 km away. Sulaymaniyah is the 7th largest city of the country and a regional capital.
How big is Sulaymaniyah compared with the rest of Iraq?
Its 878,146 residents are 1.8% of the 48,295,919 people living in Iraq today. Baghdad is larger with 7,216,000 people.
Where is Sulaymaniyah?
In Iraq, at latitude 35.57 and longitude 45.43, 847 m above sea level. Nearby large cities include Qeładizê (74 km), Rānyah (91 km), Kirkuk (95 km).
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Cite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Sulaymaniyah Population 2026 — Iraq. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/iraq/sulaymaniyah/<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/iraq/sulaymaniyah/">Sulaymaniyah Population 2026 — Iraq</a> — GlostatsFigures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.
City populations are GeoNames figures (CC BY 4.0): the latest official census or estimate for the city proper — the municipality, not the wider metropolitan area — so they can differ from "metro area" numbers you see elsewhere. Country populations are live Glostats estimates from the UN World Population Prospects. Distances are great-circle distances between city centres. Page generated 2026-10-20. More about our data.