Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Iraq
Iraq: Medical doctors per 1,000 people was 1.02 per 1,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Iraq, 1960–2022
Source: World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in per 1,000 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for medical doctors per 1,000 people in Iraq is 1.02 per 1,000 people, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is up 4.0% on the previous year and up 60.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, medical doctors per 1,000 people in Iraq peaked at 1.02 per 1,000 people in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.195 per 1,000 people, in 1960.
Iraq ranks 118th of 194 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Iraq, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.195 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1965 | 0.2 per 1,000 people | +2.6% |
| 1970 | 0.309 per 1,000 people | +54.5% |
| 1980 | 0.563 per 1,000 people | +82.2% |
| 1981 | 0.568 per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1986 | 0.596 per 1,000 people | +4.9% |
| 1987 | 0.576 per 1,000 people | -3.4% |
| 1990 | 0.603 per 1,000 people | +4.7% |
| 1993 | 0.603 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.55 per 1,000 people | -8.8% |
| 2001 | 0.543 per 1,000 people | -1.3% |
| 2004 | 0.658 per 1,000 people | +21.2% |
| 2005 | 0.66 per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 0.528 per 1,000 people | -20.0% |
| 2010 | 0.636 per 1,000 people | +20.5% |
| 2014 | 0.823 per 1,000 people | +29.4% |
| 2015 | 0.718 per 1,000 people | -12.8% |
| 2016 | 0.707 per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 0.8 per 1,000 people | +13.2% |
| 2018 | 0.676 per 1,000 people | -15.5% |
| 2019 | 0.881 per 1,000 people | +30.3% |
| 2020 | 0.923 per 1,000 people | +4.8% |
| 2021 | 0.983 per 1,000 people | +6.5% |
| 2022 | 1.02 per 1,000 people | +4.0% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 1.02 per 1,000 people is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.84 per 1,000 people, 55% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 1.02 per 1,000 people is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.74 per 1,000 people, 59% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Medical doctors per 1,000 people 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +82.2% | 0.309 per 1,000 people | 0.563 per 1,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.1975 per 1,000 people | 0.195 per 1,000 people | 0.2 per 1,000 people | 2 |
| 1970s | 0.309 per 1,000 people | 0.309 per 1,000 people | 0.309 per 1,000 people | 1 |
| 1980s | 0.5757 per 1,000 people | 0.563 per 1,000 people | 0.596 per 1,000 people | 4 |
| 1990s | 0.5853 per 1,000 people | 0.55 per 1,000 people | 0.603 per 1,000 people | 3 |
| 2000s | 0.5973 per 1,000 people | 0.528 per 1,000 people | 0.66 per 1,000 people | 4 |
| 2010s | 0.7487 per 1,000 people | 0.636 per 1,000 people | 0.881 per 1,000 people | 7 |
| 2020s | 0.976 per 1,000 people | 0.923 per 1,000 people | 1.02 per 1,000 people | 3 |
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 medical doctors per 1,000 people in Iraq?
- Medical doctors per 1,000 people in Iraq was 1.02 per 1,000 people in 2022, according to World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest medical doctors per 1,000 people recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 1.02 per 1,000 people in 2022.
- What is the lowest medical doctors per 1,000 people recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.195 per 1,000 people in 1960.
- How does Iraq rank for medical doctors per 1,000 people?
- Iraq ranks 118th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is medical doctors per 1,000 people rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 60.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization (Global Health Workforce Statistics), OECD, and country data, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Medical doctors per 1,000 people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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