Population by labor force status bars in Iraq

Iraq: Population by labor force status bars was 16.94 million in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
16.94 million
Change on year
up 0.6%
World rank
25th
of 186 countries
All-time high
16.94 million
in 2025
All-time low
8.00 million
in 1991
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Population by labor force status bars in Iraq, 1991–2025

05.0M10.0M15.0M1991200820251991: 8.0M1992: 8.2M1993: 8.6M1994: 9.0M1995: 9.3M1996: 9.5M1997: 9.8M1998: 10.1M1999: 10.4M2000: 10.7M2001: 11.0M2002: 11.3M2003: 11.6M2004: 11.8M2005: 12.1M2006: 12.1M2007: 11.9M2008: 12.1M2009: 12.5M2010: 12.8M2011: 13.2M2012: 13.8M2013: 14.4M2014: 14.8M2015: 15.2M2016: 15.4M2017: 15.6M2018: 15.8M2019: 16.0M2020: 16.2M2021: 16.4M2022: 16.6M2023: 16.7M2024: 16.8M2025: 16.9M

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for population by labor force status bars in Iraq is 16.94 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.

That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and up 11.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population by labor force status bars in Iraq peaked at 16.94 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 8.00 million, in 1991.

Iraq ranks 25th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.

Population by labor force status bars in Iraq, year by year

Annual values for Population by labor force status bars in Iraq, 1991 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1991 8.00 million —
1992 8.21 million +2.6%
1993 8.59 million +4.6%
1994 8.98 million +4.6%
1995 9.25 million +3.1%
1996 9.52 million +2.9%
1997 9.78 million +2.8%
1998 10.06 million +2.9%
1999 10.36 million +2.9%
2000 10.67 million +3.0%
2001 10.96 million +2.8%
2002 11.27 million +2.8%
2003 11.56 million +2.6%
2004 11.83 million +2.4%
2005 12.11 million +2.4%
2006 12.12 million +0.1%
2007 11.94 million -1.4%
2008 12.10 million +1.3%
2009 12.47 million +3.0%
2010 12.80 million +2.7%
2011 13.21 million +3.2%
2012 13.78 million +4.3%
2013 14.40 million +4.5%
2014 14.85 million +3.1%
2015 15.17 million +2.1%
2016 15.42 million +1.7%
2017 15.63 million +1.4%
2018 15.84 million +1.3%
2019 16.03 million +1.2%
2020 16.21 million +1.2%
2021 16.39 million +1.1%
2022 16.56 million +1.0%
2023 16.72 million +0.9%
2024 16.84 million +0.7%
2025 16.94 million +0.6%

Iraq compared with similar countries

  • Iraq's 16.94 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.99 million, 8.5× the median. (53 countries reporting)
  • Iraq's 16.94 million is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 2.91 million, 5.8× the median. (23 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 9.19 million 8.00 million 10.36 million 9
2000s 11.70 million 10.67 million 12.47 million 10
2010s 14.71 million 12.80 million 16.03 million 10
2020s 16.61 million 16.21 million 16.94 million 6

Countries ranked near Iraq

  1. 22 Turkey 18.43 million compare
  2. 23 Angola 17.22 million compare
  3. 24 Yemen 17.14 million compare
  4. 26 South Africa 16.66 million compare
  5. 27 Mozambique 15.74 million compare
  6. 28 Algeria 14.20 million compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More work & labour data for Iraq

All data for Iraq →

Frequently asked questions

What is population by labor force status bars in Iraq?
Population by labor force status bars in Iraq was 16.94 million in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest population by labor force status bars recorded in Iraq?
The highest recorded value was 16.94 million in 2025.
What is the lowest population by labor force status bars recorded in Iraq?
The lowest recorded value was 8.00 million in 1991.
How does Iraq rank for population by labor force status bars?
Iraq ranks 25th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is population by labor force status bars rising or falling in Iraq?
Over the last ten years it is up 11.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Iraq data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Population by labor force status bars. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population by labor force status bars in Iraq. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/population-by-labor-force-status-bars/iraq/

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About this data

Indicator
Population by labor force status bars
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 6,496 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed