Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Iraq
Iraq: Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals was 73.5% in 2022. ▼ Falling
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Iraq, 1975–2022
Source: AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of total freshwater withdrawal.
Analysis
The most recent figure for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Iraq is 73.5%, measured in 2022.
That represents a change of down 17.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Iraq peaked at 97.5% in 1985 and was at its lowest, 72.6%, in 2020.
That places Iraq 65th out of 180 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 48 years of available data.
Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Iraq, year by year
| Year | % of total freshwater withdrawal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 97.5% | — |
| 1976 | 97.5% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 97.5% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 97.5% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 97.5% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 97.5% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 97.5% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 97.5% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 97.5% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 97.5% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 97.5% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 96.4% | -1.2% |
| 1987 | 95.3% | -1.2% |
| 1988 | 94.2% | -1.2% |
| 1989 | 93.1% | -1.1% |
| 1990 | 92.0% | -1.1% |
| 1991 | 90.1% | -2.1% |
| 1992 | 88.3% | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 86.7% | -1.8% |
| 1994 | 85.3% | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 84.0% | -1.5% |
| 1996 | 82.8% | -1.4% |
| 1997 | 81.7% | -1.3% |
| 1998 | 80.6% | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 79.7% | -1.2% |
| 2000 | 78.8% | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 79.4% | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 80.0% | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 80.6% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 81.3% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 82.0% | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 82.8% | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 83.6% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 84.5% | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 85.4% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 86.4% | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 87.6% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 88.8% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 90.1% | +1.5% |
| 2014 | 91.5% | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 91.5% | -0.0% |
| 2016 | 91.5% | -0.0% |
| 2017 | 87.8% | -4.0% |
| 2018 | 91.5% | +4.2% |
| 2019 | 78.1% | -14.6% |
| 2020 | 72.6% | -7.1% |
| 2021 | 73.5% | +1.2% |
| 2022 | 73.5% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 97.5% | 97.5% | 97.5% | 5 |
| 1980s | 96.4% | 93.1% | 97.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 85.1% | 79.7% | 92.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 81.8% | 78.8% | 85.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 88.5% | 78.1% | 91.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 73.2% | 72.6% | 73.5% | 3 |
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 water as a share of total water withdrawals in Iraq?
- Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals in Iraq was 73.5% in 2022, according to AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 97.5% in 1985.
- What is the lowest agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 72.6% in 2020.
- How does Iraq rank for agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals?
- Iraq ranks 65th out of 180 countries with data for 2022.
- Is agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from AQUASTAT - FAO's Global Information System on Water and Agriculture, FAO, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Agricultural water as a share of total water withdrawals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Agricultural water withdrawals as a percentage of total water withdrawals (which is the sum of water used for agriculture, industry and domestic purposes). Agricultural water is defined as the annual quantity of self-supplied water withdrawn for irrigation, livestock and aquaculture purposes.