While security in the governorate has improved since the peak of the violence in mid-2007, the situation remains tense, particularly in Mosul city. A quarter of all security incidents (518 of 2016) in Iraq during the final quarter of 2009 occurred in Ninewa.

Agriculture is a key component of Ninewa’s economy, particularly cereal production. The governorate also produces sugar cane, sunflower, vegetables and herbs. The Provincial Council plans to improve farming methods, infrastructure, inputs and investment to stimulate the sector. However, Ninewa has been severely affected by successive years of drought, with 47% of all cropland impacted in the last two years.

NInewa performs poorly according to many development and humanitarian indicators. Telafar, Sinjar, Al-Ba’aj and Hatra districts have among the worst rates of connection to the general water network in Iraq. All districts apart from Hatra have prolonged power cuts or are not connected to the general electricity network.

Most displacement from and within Mosul occurred during 2006 and 2007. A further 12,000 Christians were displaced following renewed violence in 2008, but most of these have since returned home. A further 5,000 families have been displaced from the western part of the governorate to the cities of Mosul, Tikrit and Kirkuk due to the drought. Between 20-27 February of this year, 698 Christian families were displaced following attacks by unidentified armed groups that left 12 dead.