US Budget Graph

US Spending in Iraq
About $900 billion of US taxpayers’ funds has been spent or approved for spending through November 2010. $9 billion of this money is lost or unaccounted for, as per ABC News.

In 2009, the U.S. monthly Spending in Iraq was $7.3 billion (as of Oct 2009)

In 2008, the U.S. monthly Spending in Iraq was $12 billion

U.S. Spending per Second – $5,000 in 2008 (as per former per Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid)

Congressional Research Service puts the cost of deploying one U.S. soldier for one year in Iraq as $390,000

Casualties and Troops in Iraq
As of Nov 30, 2010, there were a total 47,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. All other Nations have withdrawn their troops.

As per The Washington Post, there were more than 180,000 Private Contractors in Iraq in August 2007

4,439 US troops are dead and and additional 32,033 are wounded, 20% of which are serious brain or spinal injuries. (Total excludes psychological injuries). 30% of US troops develop serious mental health problems within 3 to 4 months of returning home

So far, 147 Journalists have died in Iraq (14 of them by US Forces), and Iraqi Police and Soldiers casualties stand at 9,830.

A UN issued report dated Sept 20, 2006 stating that Iraqi civilian casualties have been significantly under-reported. Casualties are reported at 50,000 to over 100,000, but may be much higher. Some informed estimates place Iraqi civilian casualities at over 600,000.

Miscellaneous Statistics
The unemployment rate in Iraq is 27% to 60%

In 2007, 28% Iraqi Children were suffering from Chronic Malnutrition (as per CNN)

Average Daily Hours Baghdad Homes Have Electricity – 5.6 in May 2007. Pre-War Daily Hours Baghdad Homes Have Electricity – 16 to 24

82% Iraqis “strongly opposed to presence of coalition troops

Most of the people in the US might not be aware of the above statistics and the real cost of the Iraq war – in lives and money. Robert Fisk, the British writer and Journalist, emphasizes on the need of the US Media of informing its public by saying

I firmly believe that Journalism, by its failure to show the real horror of War, has become a Lethal Weapon supporting Governments that want to go to War. Nobody who would see what we have seen would EVER support a war again

For more information on the Iraq War statistics:
The Brookings Institution’s Iraq Index