Youth unemployment in Iraq stands at roughly 35%

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Youth unemployment in Iraq has reached 35.8%, according to data compiled by the Strategic Center for Human Rights from United Nations and International Labour Organization (ILO) statistics.

Young people make up 37% of Iraq’s population, while more than 60% of Iraqis are under the age of 25, according to the report. Female labor-force participation remains low at 10.6%.

The report attributed high youth unemployment to several factors, including the public sector’s limited ability to absorb growing numbers of graduates, weak private-sector growth, a gap between education outcomes and labor market demands, and insufficient vocational training and support for small businesses.

Iraq’s Planning Ministry estimates the overall unemployment rate at around 13%, based on the latest population census and household surveys. International databases, including Statista and Trading Economics, have placed the country’s overall unemployment rate at approximately 15.5% in 2025.

The issue has fueled repeated protests by university graduates across Iraq, many of whom have demanded government employment after completing their studies. The Federal Public Service Council has warned that the state cannot accommodate the growing number of graduates seeking public-sector jobs, including thousands of doctors.

The Strategic Center for Human Rights called for a national employment strategy focused on reforming education, expanding vocational training, supporting entrepreneurship, improving access to finance, and creating incentives for private-sector companies to hire more workers.

Read more: Youth in despair, no jobs to share: Iraq’s workforce hanging in the air