Agricultural land use in Iraq
Iraq: Agricultural land use was 9.48 million hectares in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
9.48 million hectares
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
76th
of 227 countries
All-time high
9.87 million hectares
in 1993
All-time low
7.85 million hectares
in 2009
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Agricultural land use in Iraq, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
The most recent figure for agricultural land use in Iraq is 9.48 million hectares, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 6.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural land use in Iraq peaked at 9.87 million hectares in 1993 and was at its lowest, 7.85 million hectares, in 2009.
Iraq ranks 76th of 227 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Agricultural land use in Iraq, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 8.80 million hectares | — |
| 1962 | 8.86 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 8.91 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 8.87 million hectares | -0.5% |
| 1965 | 8.92 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 8.93 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1967 | 8.98 million hectares | +0.6% |
| 1968 | 8.98 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1969 | 8.99 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1970 | 8.99 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 9.00 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1972 | 9.16 million hectares | +1.8% |
| 1973 | 9.17 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 9.28 million hectares | +1.2% |
| 1975 | 9.29 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1976 | 9.29 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 9.29 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 9.39 million hectares | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 9.44 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 9.44 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 9.44 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 9.45 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 9.45 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 9.45 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 9.46 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1986 | 9.48 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 9.47 million hectares | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 9.51 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 9.23 million hectares | -2.9% |
| 1990 | 9.24 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 9.63 million hectares | +4.2% |
| 1992 | 9.54 million hectares | -0.9% |
| 1993 | 9.87 million hectares | +3.5% |
| 1994 | 9.32 million hectares | -5.6% |
| 1995 | 9.07 million hectares | -2.8% |
| 1996 | 9.07 million hectares | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 8.65 million hectares | -4.7% |
| 1998 | 8.64 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 8.48 million hectares | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 8.50 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 8.49 million hectares | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 8.68 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 8.68 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 8.63 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 8.78 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 8.98 million hectares | +2.3% |
| 2007 | 9.13 million hectares | +1.7% |
| 2008 | 8.20 million hectares | -10.2% |
| 2009 | 7.85 million hectares | -4.3% |
| 2010 | 8.22 million hectares | +4.8% |
| 2011 | 8.53 million hectares | +3.7% |
| 2012 | 8.57 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 8.89 million hectares | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 9.33 million hectares | +5.1% |
| 2015 | 9.27 million hectares | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 9.32 million hectares | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 9.34 million hectares | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 9.38 million hectares | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 9.45 million hectares | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 9.45 million hectares | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 9.48 million hectares | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 9.45 million hectares | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 9.48 million hectares | +0.2% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 9.48 million hectares is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.20 million hectares, 3.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 9.48 million hectares is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 4.06 million hectares, 2.3× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8.91 million hectares | 8.80 million hectares | 8.99 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 9.23 million hectares | 8.99 million hectares | 9.44 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.44 million hectares | 9.23 million hectares | 9.51 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.15 million hectares | 8.48 million hectares | 9.87 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.59 million hectares | 7.85 million hectares | 9.13 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.03 million hectares | 8.22 million hectares | 9.45 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.47 million hectares | 9.45 million hectares | 9.48 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More agriculture & rural data for Iraq
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -8.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0341 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 184.67 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.94 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3006 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 3.4% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 3.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.0% (2016)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.1% (2014)
Frequently asked questions
- What is agricultural land use in Iraq?
- Agricultural land use in Iraq was 9.48 million hectares in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest agricultural land use recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 9.87 million hectares in 1993.
- What is the lowest agricultural land use recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.85 million hectares in 2009.
- How does Iraq rank for agricultural land use?
- Iraq ranks 76th out of 227 countries with data for 2023.
- Is agricultural land use rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Agricultural land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Land used for cultivation of crops and animal husbandry. The total of areas under cropland and permanent meadows and pastures.