Employment by status in Iraq
Iraq: Employment by status was 68.4% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Employment by status in Iraq, 1991–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, employment by status in Iraq stood at 68.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment by status in Iraq peaked at 71.5% in 2013 and was at its lowest, 61.7%, in 1996.
That places Iraq 93rd out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 62.2% | 61.7% | 63.4% | 9 |
| 2000s | 65.3% | 64.1% | 67.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.3% | 68.0% | 71.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 68.5% | 68.4% | 68.6% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
- 90 Mexico 69.2% compare
- 91 Kyrgyzstan 69.0% compare
- 92 Tajikistan 68.5% compare
- 94 Guyana 68.4% compare
- 95 Turkmenistan 67.9% compare
- 96 Gabon 67.6% compare
More work & labour data for Iraq
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 41.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 72.6% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 15.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 10.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 43.4% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 75.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 11.5% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment by status in Iraq?
- Employment by status in Iraq was 68.4% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment by status recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 71.5% in 2013.
- What is the lowest employment by status recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 61.7% in 1996.
- How does Iraq rank for employment by status?
- Iraq ranks 93rd out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is employment by status rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment by status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.