School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes (number) in Iraq
Iraq: School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes (number) was 2.20 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
2.20 million
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
32nd
of 222 countries
All-time high
2.36 million
in 2019
All-time low
651,141
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Iraq, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Iraq is 2.20 million, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Iraq peaked at 2.36 million in 2019 and was at its lowest, 651,141, in 1970.
Iraq ranks 32nd of 222 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes (number) in Iraq, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 651,141 | — |
| 1971 | 673,825 | +3.5% |
| 1972 | 696,668 | +3.4% |
| 1973 | 722,687 | +3.7% |
| 1974 | 751,445 | +4.0% |
| 1975 | 779,219 | +3.7% |
| 1976 | 805,468 | +3.4% |
| 1977 | 830,470 | +3.1% |
| 1978 | 855,582 | +3.0% |
| 1979 | 880,471 | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 902,951 | +2.6% |
| 1981 | 925,984 | +2.6% |
| 1982 | 945,059 | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 963,930 | +2.0% |
| 1984 | 987,006 | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 1.01 million | +2.5% |
| 1986 | 1.02 million | +1.1% |
| 1987 | 1.05 million | +2.8% |
| 1988 | 1.07 million | +2.0% |
| 1989 | 1.10 million | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 1.12 million | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 1.11 million | -1.4% |
| 1992 | 1.13 million | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 1.16 million | +3.2% |
| 1994 | 1.25 million | +7.2% |
| 1995 | 1.30 million | +4.5% |
| 1996 | 1.36 million | +4.2% |
| 1997 | 1.40 million | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 1.44 million | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 1.48 million | +2.5% |
| 2000 | 1.51 million | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 1.54 million | +2.1% |
| 2002 | 1.57 million | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 1.62 million | +3.0% |
| 2004 | 1.66 million | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 1.69 million | +2.2% |
| 2006 | 1.72 million | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 1.67 million | -3.0% |
| 2008 | 1.64 million | -1.4% |
| 2009 | 1.70 million | +3.7% |
| 2010 | 1.75 million | +2.5% |
| 2011 | 1.80 million | +3.0% |
| 2012 | 1.87 million | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 1.95 million | +4.6% |
| 2014 | 2.04 million | +4.3% |
| 2015 | 2.12 million | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 2.24 million | +5.4% |
| 2017 | 2.32 million | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 2.35 million | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 2.36 million | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 2.32 million | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 2.26 million | -2.8% |
| 2022 | 2.19 million | -2.8% |
| 2023 | 2.17 million | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 2.18 million | +0.5% |
| 2025 | 2.20 million | +0.8% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 2.20 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 272,347, 8.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 2.20 million is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 550,416, 4.0× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 764,698 | 651,141 | 880,471 | 10 |
| 1980s | 998,149 | 902,951 | 1.10 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.27 million | 1.11 million | 1.48 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.63 million | 1.51 million | 1.72 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.08 million | 1.75 million | 2.36 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.22 million | 2.17 million | 2.32 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More education data for Iraq
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 148,363 (2007)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 818,729 (2007)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 55,944 (2007)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 52,985 (2007)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 2.04 million (2007)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 4.86 million (2007)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 1.26 % change on previous year (2004)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2007)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1713 units per person (2007)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Iraq?
- School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes in Iraq was 2.20 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 2.36 million in 2019.
- What is the lowest school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 651,141 in 1970.
- How does Iraq rank for school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes?
- Iraq ranks 32nd out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, pre-primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.8%. 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 School age population, pre-primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release