ABCI Iraq 2035
Turning small businesses and entrepreneurial activity into formal, productive and scalable companies.
ABCI analytical perspective. Milestones and structural directions below are research propositions, not official forecasts or commitments.
Entrepreneurship contributes to transformation when firms can survive, formalize, employ people and expand. The research focus is the transition from an individual activity to a company with repeatable operations, governance and access to markets.
The World Bank Iraq overview reports unemployment of 13.5% and labour force participation of 38%. These are economy-wide labour indicators, not measurements of SME performance. A reliable startup-to-scale-up baseline is still needed to assess business progression directly.
Counting registrations or training participants does not explain whether businesses become productive employers. Comparable evidence is needed on survival, formal jobs, revenue growth and market access, with clear definitions of firm size and business stage.
Research priorities include proportionate formalization, better financial records, management capabilities, commercial connections and finance suited to the stage of the business. Support should connect preparation with customers and operational execution.
By 2030, look for observable transitions from startup to sustainable company, supported by cohort-based survival and employment data. Measure how firms use support and reach customers rather than treating participation counts as proof of growth.
Stronger survival, growth and formal employment in viable SMEs, alongside lower unemployment. This qualitative direction requires business-level evidence; it is not a numerical labour-market forecast.
Measurement period not identified in the linked source
World Bank Iraq overview; not a live estimate.
Measurement period not identified in the linked source
Reported in the World Bank Iraq overview. The linked paragraph does not specify the observation period.
2035
ABCI Research Direction — not an official government target.
Qualitative research proposition. No quantified 2035 scenario is published until a consistent baseline, assumptions and reproducible calculation have been reviewed. See the pillar measurement plan for definitions, collection needs and limitations.
SOURCE REGISTER
The register identifies each linked publication or data series. Indicator cards retain measurement periods and definitions. An absent publication or check date is shown explicitly; the edition date is not a substitute.
Linked publication / page; edition number not stated
Published: date not established
Independent check: 2026-09-30
ABCI · BAGHDAD, IRAQ
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