ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Seven government entities in Iraq have alone received 93 percent of the country’s central salary budget between 2019 and 2024, an Iraqi economist said Wednesday, raising concerns about unequal spending and financial sustainability.

Manar al-Obaidi, an economic expert, shared the figures in a post on social media. He said the total central government salary budget increased by about 48 percent over the five-year period.

The Ministry of Interior topped the list, receiving 22 percent of the total salary budget in 2024, about 13 trillion Iraqi dinars ($9.9 billion), up from 10.5 trillion dinars in 2019.

The Ministry of Education followed with 18 percent of the budget. Its salary allocations grew from 1.74 trillion dinars in 2019 to 10.7 trillion dinars in 2024, a 513 percent increase, the highest among all ministries.

Salaries for the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) rose from 4.58 trillion dinars in 2019 to 9.2 trillion dinars in 2024, a 101 percent increase. The KRG’s share made up 15.3 percent of total central government salaries.

The Ministry of Health saw a 466 percent jump in salaries, from 1 trillion dinars in 2019 to 5.9 trillion dinars in 2024.

The General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers and its affiliated bodies received a budget increase of 80 percent, growing from 3.5 trillion dinars to 6.34 trillion dinars.

In comparison, all other ministries and provincial administrations combined received just 6.5 percent of the total central salary budget.

“These figures do not include self-financed agencies like some departments in the ministries of electricity, oil, and communications,” Obaidi said.

He warned that the rapid rise in salary spending could put pressure on future governments and hurt the sustainability of public finances.