Afghanistan vs Iraq: School age population, tertiary education, both sexes
Afghanistan
4.42 million
in 2025
Iraq
4.47 million
in 2025
Afghanistan rank
26th
Iraq rank
24th
School age population, tertiary education, both sexes over time
- Afghanistan
- Iraq
How they compare
Iraq currently reports 4.47 million against 4.42 million in Afghanistan, a difference of 53,050.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 56 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Afghanistan ahead.
Afghanistan ranks 26th and Iraq ranks 24th of 221 countries.
Across the 6 decades both report, Afghanistan averaged higher in 1 and Iraq in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Afghanistan | Iraq | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 1.09 million | 938,599 | 148,518 | Afghanistan |
| 1980s | 1.03 million | 1.43 million | 395,020 | Iraq |
| 1990s | 1.42 million | 2.06 million | 638,749 | Iraq |
| 2000s | 2.03 million | 2.66 million | 623,878 | Iraq |
| 2010s | 3.20 million | 3.57 million | 371,136 | Iraq |
| 2020s | 4.21 million | 4.27 million | 62,470 | Iraq |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher school age population, tertiary education, both sexes, Afghanistan or Iraq?
- Iraq, at 4.47 million against 4.42 million in Afghanistan as of 2025.
- What is the difference in school age population, tertiary education, both sexes between Afghanistan and Iraq?
- 53,050, with Iraq ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Afghanistan and Iraq?
- 56 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2025.
- How do Afghanistan and Iraq rank globally for school age population, tertiary education, both sexes?
- Afghanistan ranks 26th and Iraq ranks 24th of 221 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as School age population, tertiary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
February 2026 Data Release