Top expat cities

Iraq

Basra

#4 Top 5 cities

Basra matters for energy and port-related business, but climate, infrastructure strain, and overall social comfort for expats are less favorable.

Country overview

Population

1 326 564

Year-round temperatures

Day: 18°C aĆŸ 45°C

Night: 8°C aĆŸ 31°C

Climate

Very hot humid summers, mild winters, and demanding summer conditions.

Distance to the sea

55 km

Social atmosphere

3/10

Costs

Housing cost 6/10
Food cost 7/10

Business friendliness

4/10

Safety

1/10

Terrorism, kidnapping, militia activity, crime, protests, regional conflict, and threats to ports and energy sites make Basra unsuitable without strong institutional security support.

Natural disaster resilience

3/10

Basra is highly vulnerable to extreme heat, water scarcity and salinity, drought, dust storms, river and urban flooding, and low-lying coastal impacts.

Other scores

Other scores

Internet availability 5/10
Internet speed 5/10
Internet stability 3/10
Electricity stability 4/10

Community types

  • Corporate expats
  • Small business owners
  • Long-term expats

Largest nationality groups

  • đŸ‡žđŸ‡ŸSyrians
  • đŸ‡”đŸ‡°Pakistanis
  • đŸ‡§đŸ‡©Bangladeshis

Pros / Cons

Pros

  • +Airport access
  • +Good transport links

Cons

  • −Severe security risk
  • −Infrastructure instability
  • −Higher living costs
  • −Noise
  • −Uneven neighborhood quality
  • −Smaller expat scene