Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Iraq

Iraq: Share of children in primary school age who are in school was 89.3% in 2007. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2007)
89.3%
Change on year
up 4.8%
World rank
160th
of 209 countries
All-time high
94.0%
in 1980
All-time low
0.0%
in 1820
Years of data
55
1820–2007

Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Iraq, 1820–2007

020406080100182019132007

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Iraq recorded 89.3% for share of children in primary school age who are in school in 2007.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.8% on the previous year and up 20.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of children in primary school age who are in school in Iraq peaked at 94.0% in 1980 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1820.

Iraq ranks 160th of 209 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1820s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1830s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1840s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1850s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 2
1860s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 2
1870s 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 2
1880s 0.4% 0.3% 0.4% 2
1890s 0.7% 0.6% 0.8% 2
1900s 1.3% 1.1% 1.5% 2
1910s 2.3% 2.0% 2.7% 2
1920s 4.2% 3.6% 4.8% 2
1930s 7.8% 6.0% 9.6% 2
1940s 14.8% 13.5% 16.0% 2
1950s 25.3% 20.5% 30.0% 2
1960s 53.0% 48.0% 58.0% 2
1970s 66.5% 55.0% 90.8% 10
1980s 89.3% 85.6% 94.0% 8
1990s 79.3% 73.9% 84.7% 3
2000s 85.7% 82.4% 89.3% 4

Countries ranked near Iraq

  1. 157 Bhutan 89.5% compare
  2. 158 Zimbabwe 89.5% compare
  3. 159 Belize 89.3% compare
  4. 161 Macao 89.2% compare
  5. 162 Mauritania 88.7% compare
  6. 163 Philippines 88.4% compare

See the full ranking of 209 places →

More education data for Iraq

All data for Iraq →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of children in primary school age who are in school in Iraq?
Share of children in primary school age who are in school in Iraq was 89.3% in 2007, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Iraq?
The highest recorded value was 94.0% in 1980.
What is the lowest share of children in primary school age who are in school recorded in Iraq?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1820.
How does Iraq rank for share of children in primary school age who are in school?
Iraq ranks 160th out of 209 countries with data for 2007.
Is share of children in primary school age who are in school rising or falling in Iraq?
Over the last ten years it is up 20.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Iraq data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children in primary school age who are in school. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of children in primary school age who are in school
Unit
%
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2026); Lee and Lee (2016) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
209 places, 8,478 data points, 1820–2025
Last refreshed

The share of children of primary school age (typically 6–11 years) who are enrolled in primary education.