Iraq vs Pakistan
Iraq vs Pakistan: Adult literacy
Adult literacy in 2021: 84.1% in Iraq and 58.9% in Pakistan, by UNESCO estimates. In 2021 the value was higher in Iraq, by 25.2 percentage points, or 1.43 times that in Pakistan.
% of adults · UNESCO
What the numbers say
- Iraq has been higher in every year both have figures for since 2012.
- The world as a whole: 87.2% in 2021.
Every year
% of adults · UNESCO
| Year | Iraq | Pakistan | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | – | – | 87.7 |
| 2023 | – | – | 87.6 |
| 2022 | – | – | 87.4 |
| 2021 | 84.1 | 58.9 | 87.2 |
| 2020 | – | – | 87 |
| 2019 | – | 58 | 86.8 |
| 2018 | – | 57 | 86.8 |
| 2017 | 85.6 | 59.1 | 86.5 |
| 2016 | 83.3 | – | 86.3 |
| 2015 | – | – | 86 |
| 2014 | 82.2 | 57 | 85.6 |
| 2013 | – | 55.6 | 85.2 |
| 2012 | 77.2 | 56.8 | 84.9 |
| 2011 | – | 54.7 | 84.7 |
| 2010 | – | 55.4 | 84.4 |
| 2009 | – | 54.9 | 83.8 |
| 2008 | – | 55.5 | 83.5 |
| 2007 | – | 52.1 | 83.1 |
| 2006 | – | 54.2 | 82.5 |
| 2005 | – | 49.9 | 82.6 |
| 2004 | – | – | 82.6 |
| 2003 | – | – | 82.2 |
| 2002 | – | – | 81.7 |
| 2001 | – | – | 81.4 |
| 2000 | 74.1 | – | 81.1 |
| 1999 | – | – | 80.9 |
| 1998 | – | 42.7 | 80.5 |
| 1997 | – | – | 79.3 |
| 1996 | – | – | 77.3 |
| 1995 | – | – | 76.9 |
| 1994 | – | – | 76.4 |
| 1993 | – | – | 76 |
| 1992 | – | – | 75.5 |
| 1991 | – | – | 75.1 |
| 1990 | – | – | 74.6 |
| 1989 | – | – | 74.1 |
| 1988 | – | – | 73.6 |
| 1987 | – | – | 71.9 |
| 1986 | – | – | 71.3 |
| 1985 | – | – | 70.7 |
| 1984 | – | – | 70.2 |
| 1983 | – | – | 69.5 |
| 1982 | – | – | 68.9 |
| 1981 | – | 25.7 | 68.4 |
| 1980 | – | – | 67.8 |
| 1979 | – | – | 67.2 |
| 1978 | – | – | 66.5 |
| 1977 | – | – | 65.9 |
| 1976 | – | – | 65.6 |
| 1975 | – | – | 65.4 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The share of people aged 15 and over who can read and write a short, simple statement about their everyday life.
- Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, via the World Bank.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Iraq vs Pakistan
Health
- Life expectancyIraq: 72.3 years in 2023Pakistan: 67.7 years in 2023
- Child mortalityIraq: 2.2 per 100 live births in 2024Pakistan: 5.6 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityIraq: 19 per 1,000 live births in 2023Pakistan: 49.4 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterIraq: 59.7% in 2022Pakistan: 50.6% in 2022
- DepressionIraq: 3.89% in 2017Pakistan: 3.33% in 2017
- Suicide rateIraq: 4.1 per 100,000 people in 2017Pakistan: 4.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationIraq: 45.1 million people in 2023Pakistan: 248 million people in 2023
- Population growthIraq: 2.15% a year in 2023Pakistan: 1.48% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateIraq: 3.25 births per woman in 2023Pakistan: 3.61 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationIraq: 69.9% in 2025Pakistan: 39.5% in 2025
- Median ageIraq: 20.4 years in 2023Pakistan: 20.3 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overIraq: 3.4% in 2023Pakistan: 4.2% in 2023
- Net migration rateIraq: -0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023Pakistan: -6.5 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingIraq: 2.45% of GDP in 2025Pakistan: 2.91% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsIraq: $6.4B in 2025Pakistan: $11.5B in 2025
- Military spending per personIraq: $139 in 2025Pakistan: $47 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingIraq: 5.5% of government spending in 2025Pakistan: 13.8% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelIraq: 459,000 people in 2020Pakistan: 943,000 people in 2020
- National powerIraq: 0.54% of world capability in 2022Pakistan: 1.77% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersIraq: 4.4% of the labour force in 2020Pakistan: 1.25% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsIraq: 55 million TIV in 2025Pakistan: 706 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsIraq: 20 million TIV in 1989Pakistan: 127 million TIV in 2025