Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Iraq
Iraq: Population of compulsory school age, both sexes was 6.78 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
6.78 million
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
38th
of 197 countries
All-time high
6.93 million
in 2023
All-time low
3.76 million
in 1998
Years of data
28
1998–2025
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Iraq, 1998–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
Iraq recorded 6.78 million for population of compulsory school age, both sexes in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.3% on the previous year and up 20.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Iraq peaked at 6.93 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3.76 million, in 1998.
That places Iraq 38th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Iraq, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 3.76 million | — |
| 1999 | 3.90 million | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 4.05 million | +3.8% |
| 2001 | 4.19 million | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 4.31 million | +2.9% |
| 2003 | 4.44 million | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 4.53 million | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 4.64 million | +2.4% |
| 2006 | 4.75 million | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 4.65 million | -2.1% |
| 2008 | 4.61 million | -0.9% |
| 2009 | 4.76 million | +3.3% |
| 2010 | 4.86 million | +2.1% |
| 2011 | 4.96 million | +2.1% |
| 2012 | 5.09 million | +2.5% |
| 2013 | 5.31 million | +4.4% |
| 2014 | 5.50 million | +3.6% |
| 2015 | 5.63 million | +2.4% |
| 2016 | 5.78 million | +2.6% |
| 2017 | 5.94 million | +2.8% |
| 2018 | 6.16 million | +3.8% |
| 2019 | 6.39 million | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 6.58 million | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 6.77 million | +2.8% |
| 2022 | 6.89 million | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 6.93 million | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 6.86 million | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 6.78 million | -1.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.83 million | 3.76 million | 3.90 million | 2 |
| 2000s | 4.49 million | 4.05 million | 4.76 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.56 million | 4.86 million | 6.39 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.80 million | 6.58 million | 6.93 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
- 35 Peru 7.73 million compare
- 36 Côte d'Ivoire 7.31 million compare
- 37 Uzbekistan 7.27 million compare
- 39 Thailand 6.68 million compare
- 40 Italy 6.45 million compare
- 41 Burkina Faso 6.44 million compare
More education data for Iraq
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 2.04 million (2007)
- Enrolment in secondary education, both sexes (number), annual growth 15.47 % change on previous year (2004)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 286,890 (2007)
- Teachers in primary education, both sexes (number), annual growth rate -4.19 % change on previous year (2004)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), gaps filled 844,474 (2007)
- Enrolment in secondary education, female (number), annual growth rate 11.05 % change on previous year (2004)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), gaps filled 1.19 million (2007)
- Enrolment in secondary education, male (number), annual growth rate 18.48 % change on previous year (2004)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 108,929 (2007)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, both sexes (number), annual 70.03 % change on previous year (2004)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Iraq?
- Population of compulsory school age, both sexes in Iraq was 6.78 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 6.93 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, both sexes recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.76 million in 1998.
- How does Iraq rank for population of compulsory school age, both sexes?
- Iraq ranks 38th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population of compulsory school age, both sexes rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population of compulsory school age, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release