School-age population (upper secondary level) in Iraq
Iraq: School-age population (upper secondary level) was 2.99 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
2.99 million
Change on year
up 2.7%
World rank
7th
of 72 countries
All-time high
2.99 million
in 2025
All-time low
548,080
in 1975
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School-age population in Iraq, 1970–2025
Source: UNICEF.
Analysis
In 2025, school-age population in Iraq stood at 2.99 million. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.7% on the previous year and up 23.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school-age population in Iraq peaked at 2.99 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 548,080, in 1975.
Iraq ranks 7th of 72 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 56 years of available data.
School-age population (upper secondary level) in Iraq, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 593,113 | — |
| 1971 | 623,834 | +5.2% |
| 1972 | 618,982 | -0.8% |
| 1973 | 574,048 | -7.3% |
| 1974 | 552,230 | -3.8% |
| 1975 | 548,080 | -0.8% |
| 1976 | 585,887 | +6.9% |
| 1977 | 644,840 | +10.1% |
| 1978 | 737,629 | +14.4% |
| 1979 | 833,745 | +13.0% |
| 1980 | 911,269 | +9.3% |
| 1981 | 943,979 | +3.6% |
| 1982 | 974,422 | +3.2% |
| 1983 | 1.01 million | +3.3% |
| 1984 | 1.04 million | +3.8% |
| 1985 | 1.09 million | +4.0% |
| 1986 | 1.11 million | +2.5% |
| 1987 | 1.16 million | +3.9% |
| 1988 | 1.19 million | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 1.22 million | +2.5% |
| 1990 | 1.25 million | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 1.25 million | -0.7% |
| 1992 | 1.27 million | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 1.30 million | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 1.37 million | +5.3% |
| 1995 | 1.41 million | +2.5% |
| 1996 | 1.44 million | +2.4% |
| 1997 | 1.47 million | +2.4% |
| 1998 | 1.51 million | +2.5% |
| 1999 | 1.55 million | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 1.60 million | +3.0% |
| 2001 | 1.64 million | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 1.69 million | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 1.73 million | +2.8% |
| 2004 | 1.78 million | +2.7% |
| 2005 | 1.84 million | +3.7% |
| 2006 | 1.92 million | +4.3% |
| 2007 | 1.92 million | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 1.93 million | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 2.02 million | +4.4% |
| 2010 | 2.08 million | +2.9% |
| 2011 | 2.13 million | +2.4% |
| 2012 | 2.19 million | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 2.28 million | +4.4% |
| 2014 | 2.37 million | +3.7% |
| 2015 | 2.43 million | +2.5% |
| 2016 | 2.48 million | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 2.51 million | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 2.54 million | +1.3% |
| 2019 | 2.58 million | +1.5% |
| 2020 | 2.63 million | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 2.68 million | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 2.75 million | +2.7% |
| 2023 | 2.83 million | +2.7% |
| 2024 | 2.91 million | +2.8% |
| 2025 | 2.99 million | +2.7% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 2.99 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 266,405, 11.2× the median. (19 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 2.99 million is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 412,353, 7.2× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 631,239 | 548,080 | 833,745 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.06 million | 911,269 | 1.22 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.38 million | 1.25 million | 1.55 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.81 million | 1.60 million | 2.02 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.36 million | 2.08 million | 2.58 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.80 million | 2.63 million | 2.99 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More education data for Iraq
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 83.22 (2007)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 89.28 (2007)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school-age population in Iraq?
- School-age population in Iraq was 2.99 million in 2025, according to UNICEF.
- What is the highest school-age population recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 2.99 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest school-age population recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 548,080 in 1975.
- How does Iraq rank for school-age population?
- Iraq ranks 7th out of 72 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school-age population rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from UNICEF, published as part of School-age population (upper secondary level). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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