Iraq Tension Score
building record · 49 days on fileLive 0–100 tension reading for Iraq, built by our own engine from 19,188 world headlines in the last 30 days. Refreshed every 10 minutes; a fresh headline count twice a day.
Where Iraq stands
#44 of 197 countries today, #15 of 16 in Middle East (region score 78). Tension is easing this week.
Same 0–100 scale and zones as the World Tension Index.
Iraq news pulse
59 headlines in 30 days · newest firstEvery story the engine read that names Iraq, its capital or its leaders. Links go to the original outlet; the badge is the engine’s own 0–100 tension weight. This list is what moves the number above.
What is driving Iraq’s tension score
last 30 days- 67 headlines in 30 days — 0.35% of everything the engine read, down on the previous 30 days (126).
- 18% of those were violent (attacks, strikes, casualties) and 25% scored as high-tension stories.
- Conflicts on the roster: Kurdish Nationalist Conflicts (escalating).
- Region: Middle East reads 78 today; it carries 15% of this score.
Read it like this. Attention (how much the world is talking about Iraq) is the biggest input at 30%. Violence and high-tension share tell you what kind of talk it is. A country can be loud and calm — an election, a summit — or quiet and dangerous. The mix is the point.
Iraq tension month by month
average score, headline counts| Month | Avg score | Zone | Headlines | Violent | Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2026 | 33.2 | Calm | 6 | 0 | 5 |
| October 2026 | 41.1 | Stable | 105 | 35 | 31 |
| September 2026 | 27.2 | Calm | 82 | 39 | 13 |
Record for Iraq began on 18 September 2026. Nothing is revised after the fact.
How the Iraq score is built
Five inputs, fixed weights. Attention 30% (share of world coverage), violence 25% and high-tension share 15% (what kind of coverage), roster conflicts 15%, and the Middle East region score 15%. A momentum nudge (+6 / −4) rewards a country whose coverage is accelerating or fading.
Same physics as the world score. The number rises 85% of the way to its new level at once and falls no faster than 3 points a day — fear arrives fast and leaves slowly.
No third-party index inside. Every count comes from the 41 public news feeds our engine reads itself; the full method is on the methodology page. Data is free under CC BY 4.0 via the API.
Questions people ask about Iraq
Is Iraq in a war right now?
Yes, by our roster: Kurdish Nationalist Conflicts. Status is updated on every full cycle.
Is tension in Iraq rising or falling?
Easing: down 19 points in 7 days.
How does Iraq compare with the rest of Middle East?
Below its region: Iraq reads 28 against 78 for Middle East, ranking #15 of 16 there.
Keep exploring
Same region
Yemen 69 · Iran 67 · Israel 67 · Palestine 55 · Saudi Arabia 55 · Syria 48
The bigger picture
All countries on the map · Middle East · World Tension Index · active conflicts · escalation watchlist
Iraq and world tension: the long view
evergreen · World Tension Meter teamBetween two giants. Iraq borders Iran and Saudi Arabia and hosts American forces, so every regional quarrel is fought on its soil by someone. It is also OPEC’s second-largest producer, which ties its calm directly to the oil price.
Militias, not just the state. Armed groups aligned with Tehran operate alongside the government. When they strike bases or oil facilities, the headline says “Iraq” even if the decision was made elsewhere.
What our engine watches in Iraq
- Attacks on bases, embassies and oil sites
- Basra export volumes and Kurdistan pipeline disputes
- Government stability in Baghdad and Erbil
Indexes to follow: Energy Security · Shipping Stress.