Out-of-pocket expenditure in Iraq
Iraq: Out-of-pocket expenditure was 54.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Out-of-pocket expenditure in Iraq, 2003–2023
Source: Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of current health expenditure.
Analysis
The most recent figure for out-of-pocket expenditure in Iraq is 54.0%, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% on the previous year and down 7.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, out-of-pocket expenditure in Iraq peaked at 76.2% in 2015 and was at its lowest, 21.3%, in 2008.
Iraq ranks 27th of 193 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Out-of-pocket expenditure in Iraq, year by year
| Year | % of current health expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 54.5% | — |
| 2004 | 28.6% | -47.5% |
| 2005 | 29.0% | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 32.6% | +12.2% |
| 2007 | 29.5% | -9.3% |
| 2008 | 21.3% | -27.9% |
| 2009 | 22.4% | +4.9% |
| 2010 | 26.0% | +16.4% |
| 2011 | 25.0% | -3.9% |
| 2012 | 61.7% | +146.4% |
| 2013 | 58.6% | -5.0% |
| 2014 | 62.0% | +5.9% |
| 2015 | 76.2% | +22.8% |
| 2016 | 44.3% | -41.9% |
| 2017 | 58.0% | +31.2% |
| 2018 | 50.4% | -13.2% |
| 2019 | 50.1% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 54.7% | +9.1% |
| 2021 | 49.9% | -8.7% |
| 2022 | 53.1% | +6.4% |
| 2023 | 54.0% | +1.7% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 54.0% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 30.1%, 1.8× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 54.0% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 34.5%, 1.6× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Out-of-pocket expenditure in Iraq changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +146.4% | 25.0% | 61.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 31.1% | 21.3% | 54.5% | 7 |
| 2010s | 51.2% | 25.0% | 76.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.9% | 49.9% | 54.7% | 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)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 898.9 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 5,830 deaths (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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is out-of-pocket expenditure in Iraq?
- Out-of-pocket expenditure in Iraq was 54.0% in 2023, according to Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest out-of-pocket expenditure recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 76.2% in 2015.
- What is the lowest out-of-pocket expenditure recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.3% in 2008.
- How does Iraq rank for out-of-pocket expenditure?
- Iraq ranks 27th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is out-of-pocket expenditure rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.8%. 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 Out-of-pocket expenditure (% of current health expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Share of out-of-pocket payments of total current health expenditures. Out-of-pocket payments are spending on health directly out-of-pocket by households.