Shahid Beheshti University International Journal of New Political Economy 3060-6233 6 2 2025 10 01 Estimating the Effect of Economic Growth on the Human Development Index in Iraq for the Period (1970-2022): A Quantile Regression Approach 39 65 106189 10.48308/jep.2025.240363.1228 EN Kazem Abdulaziz Al-Qarghuli PhD student in Economics. Faculty of Economics and Management. University of Tabriz. Tabriz. Iran Reza Ranjpour Associate Professor, Department of Economic Development and Planning, Faculty of Economics and Management. University of Tabriz,Tabriz, Iran Davoud Behboudi Associate Professor, Department of Economic Development and Planning, Faculty of Economics and Management, University of Tabriz, Tabriz. Iran. Mayeh Shabib Hodhoud full Professor, Department of Economics, University of Kufa, Najaf. Iraq Journal Article 2025 06 10 This study investigates how economic growth, along with other key variables, has influenced the Human Development Index (HDI) in Iraq over the period 1970–2022, employing a quantile regression approach. Given Iraq’s history of armed conflicts, political instability, and economic disruptions, understanding the determinants of human development has become increasingly vital, especially in the context of reconstruction efforts initiated in 2018. The quantile regression technique enables the assessment of differential effects of explanatory variables across various levels of the HDI distribution rather than relying solely on average effects. The analysis demonstrates that, for most quantiles, economic growth, public spending relative to GDP, exchange rate dynamics, and oil revenues have a positive and statistically significant impact on Iraq’s HDI. In contrast, urbanization and trade openness show a negative and statistically significant effect in several quantiles. These findings suggest that to enhance human development, the Iraqi government should adopt flexible exchange rate policies, increase productive public spending, and focus on expanding oil production and exports to raise income levels and improve social welfare. https://jep.sbu.ac.ir/article_106189_d313f145ddd02166756b3430b4521584.pdf