Current health expenditure (% of GDP) (Global Health) in Iraq
Iraq: Current health expenditure (% of GDP) (Global Health) was 5.5% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Current health expenditure in Iraq, 2003–2023
Source: Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2023, current health expenditure in Iraq stood at 5.5%.
The figure is up 27.7% on the previous year and up 97.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, current health expenditure in Iraq peaked at 5.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.5%, in 2006.
That places Iraq 117th out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Current health expenditure (% of GDP) (Global Health) in Iraq, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 3.0% | — |
| 2004 | 3.9% | +30.2% |
| 2005 | 3.0% | -22.7% |
| 2006 | 2.5% | -17.3% |
| 2007 | 3.2% | +28.9% |
| 2008 | 3.1% | -4.6% |
| 2009 | 3.8% | +23.0% |
| 2010 | 3.2% | -14.1% |
| 2011 | 2.8% | -13.5% |
| 2012 | 2.7% | -3.9% |
| 2013 | 2.8% | +4.3% |
| 2014 | 2.8% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 3.2% | +13.2% |
| 2016 | 4.6% | +44.9% |
| 2017 | 4.1% | -10.6% |
| 2018 | 4.1% | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 4.2% | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 5.7% | +36.1% |
| 2021 | 5.1% | -10.2% |
| 2022 | 4.3% | -15.7% |
| 2023 | 5.5% | +27.7% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 5.5% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 6.2%, 90% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 5.5% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 5.6%, 99% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 3.2% | 2.5% | 3.9% | 7 |
| 2010s | 3.4% | 2.7% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.2% | 4.3% | 5.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More health data for Iraq
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.4 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9773 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 5,830 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.988 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0587 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.9818 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0618 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is current health expenditure in Iraq?
- Current health expenditure in Iraq was 5.5% in 2023, according to Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest current health expenditure recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 5.7% in 2020.
- What is the lowest current health expenditure recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.5% in 2006.
- How does Iraq rank for current health expenditure?
- Iraq ranks 117th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is current health expenditure rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 97.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Current health expenditure (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Level of current health expenditure expressed as a percentage of GDP. Estimates of current health expenditures include healthcare goods and services consumed during each year. This indicator does not include capital health expenditures such as buildings, machinery, IT and stocks of vaccines for emergency or outbreaks.