Forest area in Iraq
Iraq: Forest area was 692,550 hectares in 2025. ▼ Falling
Forest area in Iraq, 1990–2025
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Iraq recorded 692,550 hectares for forest area in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, forest area in Iraq peaked at 817,620 hectares in 2000 and was at its lowest, 692,550 hectares, in 2025.
That places Iraq 134th out of 235 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Forest area in Iraq, year by year
| Year | hectares | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 803,500 hectares | — |
| 1991 | 804,912 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1992 | 806,324 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1993 | 807,736 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 809,148 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 810,560 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 811,972 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 813,384 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 814,796 hectares | +0.2% |
| 1999 | 816,208 hectares | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 817,620 hectares | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 816,288 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 814,956 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 813,624 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 812,292 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 810,960 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 809,628 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 808,296 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2008 | 806,964 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 805,632 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 804,300 hectares | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 795,162 hectares | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 786,024 hectares | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 776,886 hectares | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 767,748 hectares | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 758,610 hectares | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 752,002 hectares | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 745,394 hectares | -0.9% |
| 2018 | 738,786 hectares | -0.9% |
| 2019 | 732,178 hectares | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 725,570 hectares | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 718,966 hectares | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 712,362 hectares | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 705,758 hectares | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 699,154 hectares | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 692,550 hectares | -0.9% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 692,550 hectares is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2.29 million hectares, 30% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 692,550 hectares is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 205,330 hectares, 3.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 809,854 hectares | 803,500 hectares | 816,208 hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 811,626 hectares | 805,632 hectares | 817,620 hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 765,709 hectares | 732,178 hectares | 804,300 hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 709,060 hectares | 692,550 hectares | 725,570 hectares | 6 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
- 131 New Caledonia 892,610 hectares compare
- 132 Ireland 832,850 hectares compare
- 133 Montenegro 827,000 hectares compare
- 135 Tunisia 687,490 hectares compare
- 136 El Salvador 684,840 hectares compare
- 137 Belgium 670,520 hectares compare
More environment data for Iraq
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly -38.03 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly -26.27 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.549 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.99 °C (2025)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 6.65 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is forest area in Iraq?
- Forest area in Iraq was 692,550 hectares in 2025, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest forest area recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 817,620 hectares in 2000.
- What is the lowest forest area recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 692,550 hectares in 2025.
- How does Iraq rank for forest area?
- Iraq ranks 134th out of 235 countries with data for 2025.
- Is forest area rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.7%. 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 (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Forest area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Forest area is land under natural or planted stands of trees of at least 5 meters in situ, whether productive or not, and excludes tree stands in agricultural production systems.