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Labor force — all countries

Labor force — Iraq

Labor force in Iraq in 2025 — 12,493,376 people. Ranked 48 in the world out of 182. Since 1990, the indicator has risen by 205.4%.

2025 12.49M people +2.96% vs 2024
World rank 48of 182
Period maximum 12.49M people2025
Period minimum 4.09M people1990

Trend over time

1990–2025 · people

Labor force — Iraq, 1990–202505M10M15M19901994199820022006201020142018202220251990: 4,090,325 people1991: 4,145,856 people1992: 4,275,657 people1993: 4,497,327 people1994: 4,728,472 people1995: 4,899,569 people1996: 5,070,625 people1997: 5,236,951 people1998: 5,410,748 people1999: 5,596,021 people2000: 5,790,991 people2001: 5,984,596 people2002: 6,189,221 people2003: 6,393,346 people2004: 6,595,607 people2005: 6,816,308 people2006: 6,890,879 people2007: 6,861,334 people2008: 7,012,067 people2009: 7,285,510 people2010: 7,529,671 people2011: 7,794,331 people2012: 8,144,917 people2013: 8,762,436 people2014: 9,317,273 people2015: 9,638,775 people2016: 9,946,993 people2017: 9,932,205 people2018: 10,075,417 people2019: 10,196,893 people2020: 10,441,107 people2021: 10,581,037 people2022: 11,408,828 people2023: 11,803,809 people2024: 12,134,030 people2025: 12,493,376 people
Change over the period: +8.4M (+205.44%) Average annual rate: 3.24 %

Comparison, 2025

How the value compares with the world and the groups this territory belongs to: Iraq

Iraq 12.49M people
World 3.74B people
Middle East & North Africa 264M people
Western Asia computed 117M people
Upper-middle-income countries computed 1.38B people
Labor force — Iraq, by year Iraq All countries CSV XLSX
Year people Change Change, %
2025 12.49M +359,346 +2.96%
2024 12.13M +330,221 +2.8%
2023 11.8M +394,981 +3.46%
2022 11.41M +827,791 +7.82%
2021 10.58M +139,930 +1.34%
2020 10.44M +244,214 +2.39%
2019 10.2M +121,476 +1.21%
2018 10.08M +143,212 +1.44%
2017 9.93M −14,788 −0.15%
2016 9.95M +308,218 +3.2%
2015 9.64M +321,502 +3.45%
2014 9.32M +554,837 +6.33%
2013 8.76M +617,519 +7.58%
2012 8.14M +350,586 +4.5%
2011 7.79M +264,660 +3.51%
2010 7.53M +244,161 +3.35%
2009 7.29M +273,443 +3.9%
2008 7.01M +150,733 +2.2%
2007 6.86M −29,545 −0.43%
2006 6.89M +74,571 +1.09%
2005 6.82M +220,701 +3.35%
2004 6.6M +202,261 +3.16%
2003 6.39M +204,125 +3.3%
2002 6.19M +204,625 +3.42%
2001 5.98M +193,605 +3.34%
2000 5.79M +194,970 +3.48%
1999 5.6M +185,273 +3.42%
1998 5.41M +173,797 +3.32%
1997 5.24M +166,326 +3.28%
1996 5.07M +171,056 +3.49%
1995 4.9M +171,097 +3.62%
1994 4.73M +231,145 +5.14%
1993 4.5M +221,670 +5.18%
1992 4.28M +129,801 +3.13%
1991 4.15M +55,531 +1.36%
1990 4.09M — —

Western Asia, 2025

The same indicator for neighboring countries — with links to their pages

TR Türkiye 36.88M SA Saudi Arabia 18.38M IQ Iraq 12.49M YE Yemen 8.16M AE United Arab Emirates 7.6M SY Syria 6.76M AZ Azerbaijan 5.11M IL Israel 4.83M JO Jordan 3.22M KW Kuwait 2.93M OM Oman 2.84M QA Qatar 2.2M GE Georgia 2.01M AM Armenia 1.49M BH Bahrain 919,501 CY Cyprus 770,268
Full table for all countries

About the indicator

The economically active population — everyone aged 15 and over who either works or actively looks for work. It covers the employed, the unemployed and first-time job seekers; it leaves out students, homemakers and other people who do not offer their labor on the market. The size of the labor force is the basic constraint on the growth potential of an economy.

Source: ILOSTAT (ILO), license CC BY 4.0.

Other indicators for Iraq

Labor Labor productivity

How much output one employed person creates in a year — in constant PPP dollars.

Iraq by year Labor Female share of the labor force

What part of the labor force of a country is made up of women.

Iraq by year Labor Labor force participation rate

What share of the population aged 15 and over works or looks for work.

Iraq by year Labor Employment-to-population ratio

The share of the population aged 15 and over that actually works.

Iraq by year
All indicators for Iraq