Life Expectancy at Birth in Iraq
Iraq: Life Expectancy at Birth was 72.42 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
72.42
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
132nd
of 216 countries
All-time high
72.42
in 2024
All-time low
51.46
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life Expectancy at Birth in Iraq, 1960–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund.
Analysis
Iraq recorded 72.42 for life expectancy at birth in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and up 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth in Iraq peaked at 72.42 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 51.46, in 1960.
Iraq ranks 132nd of 216 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Life Expectancy at Birth in Iraq, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 51.46 | — |
| 1961 | 52.34 | +1.7% |
| 1962 | 53.48 | +2.2% |
| 1963 | 54.36 | +1.6% |
| 1964 | 55.24 | +1.6% |
| 1965 | 56.39 | +2.1% |
| 1966 | 57.32 | +1.7% |
| 1967 | 58.42 | +1.9% |
| 1968 | 58.97 | +0.9% |
| 1969 | 59.64 | +1.1% |
| 1970 | 60.53 | +1.5% |
| 1971 | 61.33 | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 61.82 | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 62.34 | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 60.99 | -2.2% |
| 1975 | 61.43 | +0.7% |
| 1976 | 63.57 | +3.5% |
| 1977 | 63.9 | +0.5% |
| 1978 | 64.17 | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 64.42 | +0.4% |
| 1980 | 60.92 | -5.4% |
| 1981 | 58.65 | -3.7% |
| 1982 | 58.98 | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 59.29 | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 59.54 | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 59.8 | +0.4% |
| 1986 | 60.03 | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 60.26 | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 56.69 | -5.9% |
| 1989 | 57.5 | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 57.59 | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 61.34 | +6.5% |
| 1992 | 65.34 | +6.5% |
| 1993 | 65.31 | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 65.03 | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 64.76 | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 64.62 | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 64.24 | -0.6% |
| 1998 | 64.41 | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 64.53 | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 64.86 | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 65.29 | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 65.72 | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 64.83 | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 64.63 | -0.3% |
| 2005 | 64.9 | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 64.03 | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 64.43 | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 66.47 | +3.2% |
| 2009 | 67.83 | +2.1% |
| 2010 | 68.09 | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 68.44 | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 68.83 | +0.6% |
| 2013 | 69.05 | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 69.68 | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 69.98 | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 68.68 | -1.8% |
| 2017 | 69.79 | +1.6% |
| 2018 | 71.12 | +1.9% |
| 2019 | 71.25 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 69.65 | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 70.7 | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 72.04 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 72.32 | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 72.42 | +0.1% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 72.42 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 74.45, 97% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 72.42 is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 77.28, 94% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 55.76 | 51.46 | 59.64 | 10 |
| 1970s | 62.45 | 60.53 | 64.42 | 10 |
| 1980s | 59.17 | 56.69 | 60.92 | 10 |
| 1990s | 63.72 | 57.59 | 65.34 | 10 |
| 2000s | 65.3 | 64.03 | 67.83 | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.49 | 68.09 | 71.25 | 10 |
| 2020s | 71.43 | 69.65 | 72.42 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
- 129 Venezuela 72.67 compare
- 130 Syria 72.56 compare
- 131 Uzbekistan 72.53 compare
- 133 Kyrgyzstan 72.4 compare
- 134 Mongolia 72.4 compare
- 135 El Salvador 72.3 compare
More gender data for Iraq
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 17,091 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth 0.3028 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 34,846 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 34,846 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 2.78 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 566,580 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 596,188 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 558,252 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 587,298 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 550,204 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth in Iraq?
- Life expectancy at birth in Iraq was 72.42 in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 72.42 in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.46 in 1960.
- How does Iraq rank for life expectancy at birth?
- Iraq ranks 132nd out of 216 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Life Expectancy at Birth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Gender-disaggregated data on health outcomes.