Baghdad: The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research highlighted a recent analytical report indicating significant progress for Iraq in the 2025 Academic Freedom Index (AFI). The report reveals that Iraq’s score on the AFI has climbed to 0.604 on a scale from 0 to 1, a substantial increase from 0.412 in 2024.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the report is based on data from the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) project database for 2026. It places Iraq in a prominent position, ranking it almost second among Arab countries and regions in the database, trailing Lebanon by a mere 0.014 points. Iraq’s performance notably exceeds the Arab median score of 0.240, marking a pivotal improvement in the nation’s academic freedom landscape.