The IDP and Returnee Master List provides data on the number of IDPs and returnees at the governorate, district, subdistrict and location levels, their shelter type, the period of displacement, areas of origin for IDPs and areas of last displacement for returnees. IOM’s RARTs continuously collect data through interviews with key informants and report it every two months. Additional information is gathered from government registration data and partner agencies. The Master List presents data on the number of individuals and households: the number of individuals is calculated by multiplying the number of households by six, the average size of an Iraqi household, or by five for in-camp households.
Data in this dashboard represents population figures collected at location level over time. Each data point (month) represents the number of individuals displaced at that moment in time. You can find more details in the IDPs dataset
Data in this dashboard represents population figures collected at location level over time. Each data point (month) represents the number of individuals displaced at that moment in time. You can find more details in the Returnee dataset
The data for the IDP and Returnee Master List is collected continuously and reported every two months. Data collection of IDP figures began in December 2013, and collection of returnee figures began in April 2015 (although returnee figures have been retroactively reported since October 2014). The Master List is carried out at the location level (including camps/sites/villages/neighbourhoods) with the IDP or/and returnee population. It collects data on IDPs in around 3,000 locations across 104 districts in 18 governorates and data on returnees in around 1,900 locations across 38 districts in 8 governorates.
Data is collected through IOM’s Rapid Assessment and Response Teams (RARTs), composed of over 100 staff members deployed across Iraq (20% of enumerators are female). IOM’s RARTs collect data through interviews with key informants utilizing a large, well-established network of over 9,500 key informants that includes community leaders, mukhtars, local authorities and security forces. Additional information is gathered from government registration data and partner agencies.
The displaced populations are identified through a process of collection, verification, triangulation and validation of data. IOM continues to closely coordinate with federal, regional and local authorities to maintain a shared and accurate understanding of displacement across Iraq. DTM collects information on the total number of households displaced or returned to a location at the time of data collection, not on new cases. Therefore, at every round of updates, the new count replaces the old count. The new count can be lower/higher than the previous count if the inflow is smaller/bigger than the outflow, or it can be zero if all IDPs/returnees left the location where they were previously identified. Once a location stops hosting IDPs or returnees, DTM does not track personal IDP movements; that is, if specific households have returned home, moved to a different shelter in the same location, or moved to a different location instead of their home. Instead, the DTM methodology is designed to regularly monitor and update all IDP locations, thus enabling continuous countrywide coverage of the main characteristics of the IDP population.
However, limited access due to security issues and other operational constraints can affect information-gathering activities. The variation in displacement figures observed between different reporting periods, in addition to true variation of the population figures, may be influenced by other factors such as the continuous identification of previously displaced groups and the inclusion of data on secondary displacement within Iraq.
The IDP and Returnee Master List uses the following definitions: