School age population, primary education, both sexes in Iraq

Iraq: School age population, primary education, both sexes was 5.88 million number in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
5.88 million number
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
24th
of 206 countries
All-time high
5.88 million number
in 2020
All-time low
1.40 million number
in 1970
Years of data
51
1970–2020

School age population, primary education, both sexes in Iraq, 1970–2020

1.0M2.0M3.0M4.0M5.0M6.0M197019952020

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

Iraq recorded 5.88 million number for school age population, primary education, both sexes in 2020. That is the highest value across all 51 years on record.

That represents a change of up 2.8% on the previous year and up 24.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, both sexes in Iraq peaked at 5.88 million number in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1.40 million number, in 1970.

That places Iraq 24th out of 206 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 51 years of available data.

School age population, primary education, both sexes in Iraq, year by year

Annual values for School age population, primary education, both sexes (number) in Iraq, 1970 to 2020.
Year number Change
1970 1.40 million number
1971 1.55 million number +10.4%
1972 1.63 million number +5.5%
1973 1.73 million number +5.9%
1974 1.84 million number +6.1%
1975 1.95 million number +6.1%
1976 2.06 million number +5.7%
1977 2.18 million number +5.5%
1978 2.27 million number +4.5%
1979 2.35 million number +3.4%
1980 2.41 million number +2.5%
1981 2.45 million number +1.8%
1982 2.51 million number +2.2%
1983 2.57 million number +2.5%
1984 2.63 million number +2.6%
1985 2.70 million number +2.5%
1986 2.76 million number +2.3%
1987 2.83 million number +2.4%
1988 2.89 million number +2.1%
1989 2.95 million number +1.9%
1990 3.00 million number +1.8%
1991 3.06 million number +1.9%
1992 3.11 million number +1.6%
1993 3.17 million number +2.0%
1994 3.24 million number +2.3%
1995 3.33 million number +2.5%
1996 3.41 million number +2.6%
1997 3.50 million number +2.5%
1998 3.58 million number +2.4%
1999 3.67 million number +2.4%
2000 3.75 million number +2.3%
2001 3.84 million number +2.3%
2002 3.93 million number +2.5%
2003 4.04 million number +2.7%
2004 4.15 million number +2.8%
2005 4.26 million number +2.7%
2006 4.37 million number +2.4%
2007 4.48 million number +2.5%
2008 4.57 million number +2.1%
2009 4.65 million number +1.8%
2010 4.74 million number +1.9%
2011 4.84 million number +2.1%
2012 4.92 million number +1.6%
2013 5.01 million number +1.9%
2014 5.12 million number +2.1%
2015 5.22 million number +2.0%
2016 5.32 million number +1.9%
2017 5.44 million number +2.2%
2018 5.57 million number +2.4%
2019 5.71 million number +2.6%
2020 5.88 million number +2.8%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 1.90 million number 1.40 million number 2.35 million number 10
1980s 2.67 million number 2.41 million number 2.95 million number 10
1990s 3.31 million number 3.00 million number 3.67 million number 10
2000s 4.20 million number 3.75 million number 4.65 million number 10
2010s 5.19 million number 4.74 million number 5.71 million number 10
2020s 5.88 million number 5.88 million number 5.88 million number 1

Countries ranked near Iraq

  1. 21 Sudan 6.68 million number compare
  2. 22 Afghanistan 6.39 million number compare
  3. 23 Mozambique 6.10 million number compare
  4. 25 Angola 5.86 million number compare
  5. 26 Türkiye 5.47 million number compare
  6. 27 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 4.92 million number compare

See the full ranking of 251 places →

More education data for Iraq

All data for Iraq →

Frequently asked questions

What is school age population, primary education, both sexes in Iraq?
School age population, primary education, both sexes in Iraq was 5.88 million number in 2020, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Iraq?
The highest recorded value was 5.88 million number in 2020.
What is the lowest school age population, primary education, both sexes recorded in Iraq?
The lowest recorded value was 1.40 million number in 1970.
How does Iraq rank for school age population, primary education, both sexes?
Iraq ranks 24th out of 206 countries with data for 2020.
Is school age population, primary education, both sexes rising or falling in Iraq?
Over the last ten years it is up 24.0%. 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, primary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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School age population, primary education, both sexes in Iraq. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 25 August 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/school-age-population-primary-education-both-sexes-number/iraq/

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About this data

Indicator
School age population, primary education, both sexes (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
251 places, 12,277 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Population of the age-group theoretically corresponding to primary education as indicated by theoretical entrance age and duration.