Shafaq News- Baghdad
Youth unemployment in Iraq hasreached 35.8%, according to data compiled by the Strategic Center for HumanRights from United Nations and International Labour Organization (ILO)statistics, highlighting persistent challenges facing young Iraqis despitelower official estimates for overall unemployment.
Young people make up 37% of Iraq’spopulation, while more than 60% of Iraqis are under the age of 25, according tothe report. Female labor-force participation remains low at 10.6%.
Iraq’s Planning Ministry estimatesthe overall unemployment rate at around 13%, based on the latest populationcensus and household surveys. International databases, including Statista andTrading Economics, have placed the country’s overall unemployment rate atapproximately 15.5% in 2025.
The report attributed high youthunemployment to several factors, including the public sector’s limited abilityto absorb growing numbers of graduates, weak private-sector growth, a gapbetween education outcomes and labor market demands, and insufficientvocational training and support for small businesses.
The issue has fueled repeatedprotests by university graduates across Iraq, many of whom have demandedgovernment employment after completing their studies. The Federal PublicService Council has warned that the state cannot accommodate the growing numberof graduates seeking public-sector jobs, including thousands of doctors.
The Strategic Center for HumanRights called for a national employment strategy focused on reformingeducation, expanding vocational training, supporting entrepreneurship,improving access to finance, and creating incentives for private-sectorcompanies to hire more workers.
: Youth in despair, no jobs to share: Iraq’s workforce hanging in the air
