Health Record Rights Index · country brief · this country's data as of October 1, 2026
Who holds the health record in Iraq?
In 2026, Iraq scores 27 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record. It is tied for 175th of 198 countries and territories, and could rank anywhere from 149th to 189th allowing for scoring error, in the Weak band (25 to 44). Who holds the keys: the government. Source: Health Record Rights Index, SuperTruth, this country's data as of October 1, 2026.
The government decides, with limited say for the person. No right is above the typical country. The closest is your say over research use (45 out of 100, against 46 for the typical country). The furthest behind is privacy and security (25 out of 100, against 45 for the typical country).
Iraq has no data protection law and mostly paper records; we found a legal right to a free record copy only in Kurdistan.
Published · updated · this country's data as of October 1, 2026 · research tool, not legal advice
overall score · Weak band, 25 to 44
27/100
rank among 198 countries and territories; likely 149th to 189th, allowing for scoring error
Low confidence. Thin evidence on 4 of the 8 rights: your copy, doctors see it, research and AI rules. The evidence grade rates all our sources together; confidence looks at each right. Neither changes the score.
Questions people ask
Can I see my health record in Iraq?
In 2026, getting your full record scores 30 out of 100 in Iraq; the typical country scores 40 to 45. Kurdistan's Law No. 4 of 2020 gives patients a free copy of their medical file, but we found no matching federal right for the rest of Iraq. The insurer's Damani platform holds an electronic file, but the patient features described are booking, covered services and remaining visits. Source: AI Lawyer Iraq legal database, and the other sources below.
Who controls health records in Iraq?
In 2026, the government holds the keys to your health record in Iraq. Control over who sees it scores 25 out of 100 in Iraq; the typical country scores 30. In the state insurer's digital system, records are shared by default: a doctor who enters a Damani insurance number sees the patient's full medical history. We found no opt-out, consent choices or patient-visible access log. Source: Iraqi News Agency, February 2, 2026, and the other sources below.
How does Iraq compare?
In 2026, Iraq scores 27 out of 100, against 39 for the typical country. This brief compares it with Palestine (28 out of 100), Iran (30 out of 100) and Syria (31 out of 100). Source: the ranking of all 198 countries and territories.
Eight rights, compared with Palestine, Iran, Syria and the typical country
Scores out of 100, by right
Getting your full record20%
30
25 · 40 · 35
Control over who sees it20%
25
25 · 22 · 25
Privacy and security15%
25
28 · 15 · 36
One record across your care15%
25
30 · 40 · 20
Protection from sale and ads10%
25
30 · 30 · 42
Doctors see it when treating you10%
28
28 · 30 · 18
Your say over research use5%
45
49 · 45 · 45
Rules for AI in your care5%
20
20 · 30 · 42
Black dot: Iraq. Hollow dots: Palestine, Iran, Syria (scores out of 100 on the right, same order). Gray line: the typical country of all 198. Overall: Iraq 27 out of 100. Scores move in steps of about 5 points, so read a rank with its likely range.
What would Iraq need to change to score higher?
Iraq sits in Weak (25 to 44); Mixed starts at 45. Its two weakest rights, compared with the typical country and weighted by how much each counts, are privacy and security (25 out of 100, against 45 for the typical country) and getting your full record (30 out of 100, against 40 to 45 for the typical country). Our scoring rules give more points for:
Privacy and security: A health data regulator that is independent and actually acts: it decides cases about health records, breaches must be reported, and fines are applied.
Getting your full record: A national portal that shows most people at least part of their record (a summary, prescriptions, lab results) puts this right at 60 to 75 out of 100. A near-full record that you can download, with a long history and used by most people, puts it at 76 to 90.
Which laws give health record rights in Iraq?
Constitution of the Republic of Iraq, Article 17 (2005): Gives every individual a right to personal privacy, limited by others' rights and public morals.
Penal Code No. 111 of 1969, Articles 437 and 438: Criminalises disclosing professional secrets and publishing details of another person's private or family life.
Health Insurance Law No. 22 of 2020: Creates the Health Insurance Authority under the health ministry, covering all Iraqis resident in Iraq.
Doctors, waits and private care context, not part of the score
Doctors per 10,000
10.6 2023
Nurses and midwives per 10,000
25.7 2023
Private insurance + out-of-pocket
54.0% 2010
Record reaches private care?
unknown
Real cases
August 4, 2026 · Al-Mada · archived copy Investigation reports trainees filming procedures on phones, with a patient's name visible
In 2026, Iraq scored 27 out of 100 for how much say a person has over their own health record, tied for 175th of 198 countries and territories (could be 149th to 189th), in the Weak band. Who holds the keys: the government. Source: Health Record Rights Index, SuperTruth, this country's data as of October 1, 2026, https://healthrecordrights.com/brief/iraq/
The 14 sources for Iraq
Each source appears once, under the first right it supports. Titles are shown as our research agents recorded them, usually in the page's own language; text in square brackets is our machine translation. Links were checked on the date shown.
Getting your full record (3 sources)
“Law No. 4 of 2020 on the Rights and Duties of the Patient in the Kurdistan Region, full text”
AI Lawyer Iraq legal database (law or regulation) · Title in English
No date recorded · Link checked October 2, 2026 (opened)
Used for: Getting your full record; Control over who sees it; Doctors see it when treating you; Your say over research use
SuperTruth Inc. · 24 S. 24th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA · +1 215 918 4140 · supertruth.ai Something wrong? Tell us · Questions or a briefing: supertruth.ai/on-the-record#contact · Full index: healthrecordrights.com
OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (38 mostly high-income countries). DTI™: the Data Trust Index, which grades the evidence behind each score. SuperTruth makes it and publishes this index. Everything here comes from public information: laws, government and regulator pages, court decisions, published news, WHO, OECD and World Bank data. Full sources: https://healthrecordrights.com/brief/iraq/#sources. SuperTruth built this index and sells health data verification products; no one paid to be included. Research tool, not legal advice. Our scores and our own words are CC BY 4.0; quoted law and source titles stay with their owners.
