Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Iraq
Iraq: Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) was 36.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Iraq, 2005–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
Iraq recorded 36.9% for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and down 5.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Iraq peaked at 46.2% in 2007 and was at its lowest, 36.3%, in 2022.
That places Iraq 13th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Iraq, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 46.0% | — |
| 2006 | 46.0% | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 46.2% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 45.1% | -2.6% |
| 2009 | 44.1% | -2.0% |
| 2010 | 43.1% | -2.4% |
| 2011 | 42.0% | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 40.6% | -3.1% |
| 2013 | 40.1% | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 39.6% | -1.1% |
| 2015 | 39.2% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 38.4% | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 38.3% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 37.8% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 37.3% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 37.6% | +0.7% |
| 2021 | 36.9% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 36.3% | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 36.4% | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 36.7% | +0.7% |
| 2025 | 36.9% | +0.6% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 36.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 20.0%, 1.8× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 36.9% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 25.4%, 1.5× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 45.5% | 44.1% | 46.2% | 5 |
| 2010s | 39.6% | 37.3% | 43.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.8% | 36.3% | 37.6% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More work & labour data for Iraq
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.1891 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.1939 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.1833 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2038 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 2.31 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 65,560 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 15,931 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 50,009 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 50,640 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 100,649 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Iraq?
- Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) in Iraq was 36.9% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 46.2% in 2007.
- What is the lowest share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.3% in 2022.
- How does Iraq rank for share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of)?
- Iraq ranks 13th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of) rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Share of youth not in education, employment or training, total (% of youth population) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
The share of youth not in education, employment or training (also known as “the NEET rate”) conveys the number of young persons not in education, employment or training as a percentage of the total youth population. Youth not in education are those who were neither enrolled in school nor in a formal training program (e.g. vocational training). For the purposes of this indicator, youth is defined as all persons between the ages of 15 and 24 (inclusive).