Land use in Iraq
Iraq: Land use was 5.49 million hectares in 2023. ▬ Flat
Latest (2023)
5.49 million hectares
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
52nd
of 223 countries
All-time high
5.87 million hectares
in 1993
All-time low
3.85 million hectares
in 2009
Years of data
63
1961–2023
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
In 2023, land use in Iraq stood at 5.49 million hectares.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 12.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, land use in Iraq peaked at 5.87 million hectares in 1993 and was at its lowest, 3.85 million hectares, in 2009.
Iraq ranks 52nd of 223 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.88 million hectares | 4.70 million hectares | 4.99 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 5.23 million hectares | 4.99 million hectares | 5.44 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.44 million hectares | 5.23 million hectares | 5.51 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.15 million hectares | 4.48 million hectares | 5.87 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.59 million hectares | 3.85 million hectares | 5.13 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.03 million hectares | 4.22 million hectares | 5.45 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.48 million hectares | 5.45 million hectares | 5.50 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More environment data for Iraq
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 413.28 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 8.98 t CO2e/capita (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 4.3 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.0366 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 145.34 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.0141 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 163.16 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.1325 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.1389 Mt CO2e (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 13.2 Mt CO2e (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is land use in Iraq?
- Land use in Iraq was 5.49 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 land use recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 5.87 million hectares in 1993.
- What is the lowest land use recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.85 million hectares in 2009.
- How does Iraq rank for land use?
- Iraq ranks 52nd out of 223 countries with data for 2023.
- Is land use rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.4%. 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 Land use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).