IQ
Labour · Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan · Upper-middle income
Iraq: the labour market
Labour force is 12.5m (2025), 49th of 187 in the world and 7th of 23 in the Middle East & North Africa. Participation rate is 41.5% (2025), 174th of 187 in the world and 16th of 23 in the Middle East & North Africa. Women's participation is 10.9% (2025), 185th of 187 in the world and 21st of 23 in the Middle East & North Africa.
Labour force
Iraq
Participation rate
IraqMiddle East, North Africa, A…Upper-middle incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Iraq in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 12.5m2025 | 49/187 | 7/23 | 5.8m | 7.5m | 10.4m | +30%since 2015 | 264m | 1.5bn | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 41.5%2025 | 174/187 | 16/23 | 42.1% | 41.3% | 40.3% | −1.5 ppsince 2015 | 47.4% | 62.7% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 10.9%2025 | 185/187 | 21/23 | 9.8% | 12.0% | 10.9% | −3.2 ppsince 2015 | 19.7% | 53.4% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 35.1%2025 | 177/187 | 17/23 | 38.7% | 37.9% | 34.0% | −3.3 ppsince 2015 | 43.7% | 59.5% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 15.5%2025 | 15/187 | 6/23 | 8.0% | 8.3% | 15.8% | +4.6 ppsince 2015 | 7.8% | 5.2% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 30.1%2025 | 6/187 | 4/23 | 7.0% | 10.5% | 29.2% | +7.8 ppsince 2015 | 12.1% | 5.1% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 32.0%2025 | 19/187 | 8/23 | 15.5% | 16.6% | 34.5% | +10.6 ppsince 2015 | 18.7% | 15.6% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 36.9%2021 | 17/170 | 3/16 | · | 40.6%2012 | 36.9%2021 | −9.3 ppsince 2007 | 32.2% | 17.3% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 68.3%2025 | 94/187 | 16/23 | 64.1% | 68.0% | 68.6% | +0.2 ppsince 2015 | 61.0% | 61.3% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 27.1%2025 | 97/187 | 8/23 | 33.9% | 30.9% | 27.2% | −1.1 ppsince 2015 | 36.1% | 34.8% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 8.2%2025 | 117/187 | 11/23 | 13.4% | 10.9% | 8.8% | −1.3 ppsince 2015 | 21.7% | 19.8% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 26.5%2025 | 31/187 | 10/23 | 26.1% | 24.3% | 26.2% | +0.7 ppsince 2015 | 26.6% | 27.7% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 65.3%2025 | 78/187 | 10/23 | 60.5% | 64.8% | 65.1% | +0.6 ppsince 2015 | 51.7% | 52.4% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Youth NEET rate−9.3 pp36.9% in 2021
- Wage workers+0.2 pp68.3% in 2025
- Vulnerable employment−1.1 pp27.1% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Women's participation−3.2 pp10.9% in 2025
- Employment rate−3.3 pp35.1% in 2025
- Unemployment+4.6 pp15.5% in 2025
- Female unemployment+7.8 pp30.1% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Iraq and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Iraq. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Iraq | Iran | Türkiye | Saudi Arabia | Syria | Jordan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 12.5m2025 | 29.5m2025 | 36.9m2025 | 18.4m2025 | 6.8m2025 | 3.2m2025 |
| Participation rate | 41.5%2025 | 41.0%2025 | 54.4%2025 | 65.1%2025 | 36.9%2025 | 40.1%2025 |
| Women's participation | 10.9%2025 | 14.0%2025 | 37.1%2025 | 33.6%2025 | 12.7%2025 | 16.0%2025 |
| Employment rate | 35.1%2025 | 37.6%2025 | 49.7%2025 | 63.1%2025 | 31.9%2025 | 33.4%2025 |
| Unemployment | 15.5%2025 | 8.3%2025 | 8.5%2025 | 3.0%2025 | 13.6%2025 | 16.5%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 30.1%2025 | 15.6%2025 | 11.6%2025 | 9.7%2025 | 26.1%2025 | 23.3%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 32.0%2025 | 21.9%2025 | 16.0%2025 | 10.0%2025 | 33.1%2025 | 38.9%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 36.9%2021 | 24.3%2024 | 23.3%2025 | 16.4%2025 | — | 29.4%2024 |
| Wage workers | 68.3%2025 | 57.1%2025 | 71.5%2025 | 94.5%2025 | 57.6%2025 | 88.8%2025 |