Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Iraq
Iraq: Share of land area used for arable agriculture was 11.4% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Iraq, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of land area.
Analysis
Iraq recorded 11.4% for share of land area used for arable agriculture in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of land area used for arable agriculture in Iraq peaked at 12.8% in 1993 and was at its lowest, 8.4%, in 2009.
Iraq ranks 90th of 206 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Iraq, year by year
| Year | % of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 10.5% | — |
| 1962 | 10.6% | +1.1% |
| 1963 | 10.7% | +1.1% |
| 1964 | 10.9% | +1.1% |
| 1965 | 11.0% | +1.1% |
| 1966 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 11.1% | +1.0% |
| 1968 | 11.1% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 11.1% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 11.1% | -0.0% |
| 1971 | 11.1% | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 11.4% | +3.1% |
| 1973 | 11.4% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 11.7% | +2.0% |
| 1975 | 11.7% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 11.7% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 11.7% | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 11.9% | +2.0% |
| 1979 | 12.0% | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 12.0% | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 12.0% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 12.0% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 12.0% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 12.0% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 12.0% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 12.0% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 12.0% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 12.1% | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 11.4% | -5.7% |
| 1990 | 11.4% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 12.3% | +8.0% |
| 1992 | 12.1% | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 12.8% | +5.7% |
| 1994 | 11.5% | -9.8% |
| 1995 | 11.0% | -5.0% |
| 1996 | 11.0% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 10.1% | -8.3% |
| 1998 | 10.1% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 9.8% | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 9.8% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 9.8% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 10.3% | +4.7% |
| 2003 | 10.3% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 10.3% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 10.6% | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 11.0% | +3.2% |
| 2007 | 11.3% | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 9.1% | -19.2% |
| 2009 | 8.4% | -8.1% |
| 2010 | 9.2% | +9.6% |
| 2011 | 9.9% | +7.5% |
| 2012 | 9.9% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 10.5% | +5.7% |
| 2014 | 11.4% | +8.9% |
| 2015 | 11.4% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 11.4% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 11.4% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 11.4% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 11.4% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 11.4% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 11.4% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 11.4% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 11.4% | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10.9% | 10.5% | 11.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 11.6% | 11.1% | 12.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.0% | 11.4% | 12.1% | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.2% | 9.8% | 12.8% | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.1% | 8.4% | 11.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.8% | 9.2% | 11.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.4% | 11.4% | 11.4% | 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 share of land area used for arable agriculture in Iraq?
- Share of land area used for arable agriculture in Iraq was 11.4% in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 12.8% in 1993.
- What is the lowest share of land area used for arable agriculture recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.4% in 2009.
- How does Iraq rank for share of land area used for arable agriculture?
- Iraq ranks 90th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of land area used for arable agriculture rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of land area used for arable agriculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The share of land area used for arable agriculture, measured as a percentage of total land area. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow.