Key figures about Iraq since the war began in March 2003

Key figures about Iraq since the war began in March 2003

U.S. TROOP LEVELS:

_December 2007: 160,000

_January 2007: 137,000

CASUALTIES:

_Confirmed U.S. military deaths as of Dec. 31, 2007: 3,902.

_Confirmed U.S. military wounded as of Dec. 28, 2007: 28,773.

_U.S. military deaths for December 2007: 23, lowest monthly toll since February 2004.

_U.S. military deaths for 2007: 899, the deadliest year for the U.S. military since the 2003 invasion.

_Deaths of civilian employees of U.S. government contractors as of Oct. 30, 2007: 1,073.

_Iraqi civilian deaths from war-related violence: According to Associated Press figures, there were at least 736 total Iraqi deaths in December 2007 — an increase over the November 2007 toll of 718.

_Total war-related Iraqi deaths in 2007, according to an Associated Press tally: 18,636

_Total war-related Iraqi deaths in 2007, according to Iraq Body Count: 22,586-24,159

_Assassinated Iraqi academics: 341.

_Journalists killed on assignment: 125.

COST:

_Stepped-up military operations are costing about $12 billion a month, with Iraq accounting for $10 billion per month, according to a July 2007 analysis by the Congressional Research Service.

_Total cost to the U.S. government so far is close to $482 billion.

_According to a November 2007 report from the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, total economic costs for the Iraq war are estimated at $1.3 trillion for the period from 2002 to 2008. This figure represents the hidden costs of the war beyond the direct budgetary appropriations, including interest costs of borrowing these funds, lost investment, long-term veterans' health care and oil market disruptions.

_ A January 2007 study by Linda Bilmes of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government put the total projected cost of providing medical care and disability benefits to veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan at $350 billion to $700 billion.

OIL PRODUCTION:

_Prewar: 2.58 million barrels per day.

_Dec. 19, 2007: 2.42 million barrels per day.

ELECTRICITY:

_Prewar nationwide: 3,958 megawatts. Hours per day (estimated): four to eight.

_Dec. 18, 2007, nationwide: 4,240 megawatts. Hours per day: 11.9.

_Prewar Baghdad: 2,500 megawatts. Hours per day (estimated): 16-24.

_Dec. 18, 2007, Baghdad: Megawatts not available. Hours per day: 8.9.

_Note: Current Baghdad megawatt figures are no longer reported by the U.S. State Department's Iraq Weekly Status Report.

TELEPHONES:

_Prewar land lines: 833,000.

_March 13, 2007: 1,111,000.

_Prewar cell phones: 80,000.

_June 2007: 9,204,000.

WATER:

_Prewar: 12.9 million people had potable water.

_Oct. 18, 2007: 19.6 million people have potable water.

SEWERAGE:

_Prewar: 6.2 million people served.

_Oct. 18, 2007: 11.3 million people served.

INTERNAL REFUGEES:

_Dec. 18, 2007: At least 2.4 million people have been displaced inside Iraq. According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, figures suggest that the 2006 rate of displacement was maintained through 2007, with recent reports suggesting a possible net return movement.

EMIGRANTS:

_Prewar: 500,000 Iraqis living abroad.

_Dec. 18, 2007: More than 2.2 million in neighboring countries, mainly Syria and Jordan. The Iraqi Red Crescent, the Red Cross' counterpart in the Muslim world, said in a December 2007 report that more than 25,000 Iraqi refugees returned, mostly from Syria, between Sept. 15 and Nov. 30.

Sources: The Associated Press, State Department, Defense Department, Department of Energy, Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, The Brookings Institution, Iraq Body Count, Iraqi ministries of health and education, U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq, U.N. High Commission for Refugees, Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, Committee to Protect Journalists, Harvard University, Economist Intelligence Unit, National Priorities Project, International Telecommunication Union, The Brussels Tribunal, USAID, Paul Budde Communication.

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AP researchers Julie Reed and Rhonda Shafner in New York compiled this report.