School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Iraq
Iraq: School age population, tertiary education, both sexes was 4.47 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
4.47 million
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
24th
of 221 countries
All-time high
4.47 million
in 2025
All-time low
770,242
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Iraq, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
The most recent figure for school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Iraq is 4.47 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.1% on the previous year and up 21.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Iraq peaked at 4.47 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 770,242, in 1970.
That places Iraq 24th out of 221 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Iraq, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 770,242 | — |
| 1971 | 867,389 | +12.6% |
| 1972 | 916,714 | +5.7% |
| 1973 | 970,685 | +5.9% |
| 1974 | 999,258 | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 1.02 million | +2.2% |
| 1976 | 988,533 | -3.2% |
| 1977 | 954,787 | -3.4% |
| 1978 | 942,812 | -1.3% |
| 1979 | 954,330 | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 983,764 | +3.1% |
| 1981 | 1.11 million | +12.3% |
| 1982 | 1.23 million | +10.9% |
| 1983 | 1.33 million | +8.6% |
| 1984 | 1.45 million | +8.6% |
| 1985 | 1.54 million | +6.8% |
| 1986 | 1.58 million | +2.2% |
| 1987 | 1.64 million | +3.8% |
| 1988 | 1.69 million | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 1.74 million | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 1.81 million | +3.9% |
| 1991 | 1.81 million | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 1.87 million | +3.0% |
| 1993 | 1.93 million | +3.5% |
| 1994 | 2.05 million | +6.3% |
| 1995 | 2.12 million | +3.1% |
| 1996 | 2.17 million | +2.8% |
| 1997 | 2.23 million | +2.5% |
| 1998 | 2.28 million | +2.3% |
| 1999 | 2.34 million | +2.4% |
| 2000 | 2.40 million | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 2.46 million | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 2.52 million | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 2.60 million | +3.1% |
| 2004 | 2.66 million | +2.4% |
| 2005 | 2.73 million | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 2.80 million | +2.6% |
| 2007 | 2.76 million | -1.6% |
| 2008 | 2.76 million | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 2.89 million | +4.9% |
| 2010 | 3.02 million | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 3.14 million | +4.2% |
| 2012 | 3.28 million | +4.4% |
| 2013 | 3.46 million | +5.5% |
| 2014 | 3.60 million | +4.0% |
| 2015 | 3.68 million | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 3.76 million | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 3.83 million | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 3.91 million | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 4.00 million | +2.3% |
| 2020 | 4.08 million | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 4.15 million | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 4.23 million | +1.7% |
| 2023 | 4.31 million | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 4.38 million | +1.7% |
| 2025 | 4.47 million | +2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 938,599 | 770,242 | 1.02 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.43 million | 983,764 | 1.74 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.06 million | 1.81 million | 2.34 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.66 million | 2.40 million | 2.89 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.57 million | 3.02 million | 4.00 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.27 million | 4.08 million | 4.47 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More education data for Iraq
- Primary education, teachers, gaps filled 286,890 (2007)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education 2 (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre primary education 4 (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 60.5% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 36.0% (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Primary school starting age 6 years (2025)
- Primary secondary enrollment completion rates, gaps filled 104.57 (2007)
- School enrollment, primary 104.6% (2007)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Iraq?
- School age population, tertiary education, both sexes in Iraq was 4.47 million in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, tertiary education, both sexes recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 4.47 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest school age population, tertiary education, both sexes recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 770,242 in 1970.
- How does Iraq rank for school age population, tertiary education, both sexes?
- Iraq ranks 24th out of 221 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, tertiary education, both sexes rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.5%. 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, tertiary education, both sexes (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
February 2026 Data Release