At least 126,000 Iraqi civilians have died as a direct consequence of the war's violence since the March 2003 invasion.  More have been wounded by bombs, bullets, and the fire that is often triggered by bombing.  The violence continues and more than 1 in 10 Iraqis are still displaced from their homes.

The figures for the number of Iraqi civilians killed have been clouded somewhat by arguments about methods for counting the dead and by politics inside Iraq and in the U.S. Yet to focus on the arguments about how to record the dead and wounded obscures the human toll of the war.  What can be said, after reviewing the evidence, is that the 125,000 estimate for civilians killed by direct war-related violence is low, perhaps very low.

The Bush administration assured all before the war that great care would be taken to avoid harm to civilians.  The use of precision-guided bombs was stressed. Despite this assurance, most of the coalition caused deaths were due to air attack.  As killing by coalition forces declined later in the war, insurgent and sectarian violence increased. 

Despite the billions committed to aiding and reconstructing Iraq, the country remains devastated by the war.  Many parts of the country still suffer from lack of access to clean drinking water and housing.  Some numbers of people have died due to the war's effect on Iraqi infrastructure and economy, in particular on the systems that provide health care and clean drinking water.  As the direct war death declines, the indirect harm will continue until medical and other infrastructure is repaired. 

Several million people remain internally displaced; several million others have fled the country. Unemployment is high.  The health of women and children is the most vulnerable in Iraq and many Iraqis are hungry, and dependent on rations. 

Dr. Haider Maliki, of the Central Pediatric Teaching Hospital in Baghdad estimated in 2010 that "28% of Iraqi children suffer some degree of PTSD, and their numbers are steadily rising."[1]