A set of abridged life tables by sex for Iraq and its rural urban areas separately have been presented. These life tables have been constructed using data obtained from a sample survey and sample registration in which birth and death events were recorded. The present life tables are unique as they have been constructed directly from death and birth statistics for the first time in Iraq. According to the results obtained the expectation of life at birth in Iraq for the year 1973-74 were 59.9 years for males and 60.3 years for females. Rural Iraqis in general were exposed to greater risk of mortality than their urban counterparts. The difference was more pronounced in case of females than for males. The high incidence of maternal mortality in rural Iraq was found to be one of the important factors causing sex differentials in mortality.