Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Iraq
Iraq: Happiness vs. life satisfaction was 5.21 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Iraq, 2011–2025
Source: Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, happiness vs. life satisfaction in Iraq stood at 5.21. That is the highest value across all 14 years on record.
The figure is up 4.7% on the previous year and up 13.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, happiness vs. life satisfaction in Iraq peaked at 5.21 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 4.44, in 2018.
That places Iraq 96th out of 157 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 14 years of available data.
Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Iraq, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 4.88 | — |
| 2012 | 4.82 | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 4.68 | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 4.58 | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 4.5 | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 4.46 | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 4.44 | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 4.78 | +7.8% |
| 2020 | 4.85 | +1.4% |
| 2021 | 4.94 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | 4.94 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 5.17 | +4.6% |
| 2024 | 4.98 | -3.7% |
| 2025 | 5.21 | +4.7% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 5.21 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.94, 88% of the median. (43 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 5.21 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 5.15, 1.0× the median. (21 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 4.64 | 4.44 | 4.88 | 8 |
| 2020s | 5.01 | 4.85 | 5.21 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
- 93 Turkmenistan 5.47 compare
- 94 Mozambique 5.34 compare
- 95 Turkey 5.3 compare
- 97 Gabon 5.17 compare
- 98 Iran 5.15 compare
- 99 Cote d'Ivoire 5.15 compare
More social development data for Iraq
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 322,345 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 270,671 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 5 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 5 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0058 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 270,671 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0069 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is happiness vs. life satisfaction in Iraq?
- Happiness vs. life satisfaction in Iraq was 5.21 in 2025, according to Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest happiness vs. life satisfaction recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 5.21 in 2025.
- What is the lowest happiness vs. life satisfaction recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.44 in 2018.
- How does Iraq rank for happiness vs. life satisfaction?
- Iraq ranks 96th out of 157 countries with data for 2025.
- Is happiness vs. life satisfaction rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from Wellbeing Research Centre (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Happiness vs. life satisfaction. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 14 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average of survey responses. The survey question asks respondents their current position on a hypothetical ladder, where the best possible life for them is a 10, and the worst possible life is a 0.