Municipal water withdrawal in Iraq
Iraq: Municipal water withdrawal was 7.45 billion cubic meters in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
7.45 billion cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
14th
of 183 countries
All-time high
7.94 billion cubic meters
in 2020
All-time low
580.00 million cubic meters
in 1975
Years of data
49
1975–2023
Municipal water withdrawal in Iraq, 1975–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
The most recent figure for municipal water withdrawal in Iraq is 7.45 billion cubic meters, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 391.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, municipal water withdrawal in Iraq peaked at 7.94 billion cubic meters in 2020 and was at its lowest, 580.00 million cubic meters, in 1975.
Iraq ranks 14th of 183 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Municipal water withdrawal in Iraq, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 580.00 million cubic meters | — |
| 1976 | 607.00 million cubic meters | +4.7% |
| 1977 | 634.00 million cubic meters | +4.4% |
| 1978 | 661.00 million cubic meters | +4.3% |
| 1979 | 688.00 million cubic meters | +4.1% |
| 1980 | 715.00 million cubic meters | +3.9% |
| 1981 | 742.00 million cubic meters | +3.8% |
| 1982 | 769.00 million cubic meters | +3.6% |
| 1983 | 796.00 million cubic meters | +3.5% |
| 1984 | 823.00 million cubic meters | +3.4% |
| 1985 | 850.00 million cubic meters | +3.3% |
| 1986 | 936.00 million cubic meters | +10.1% |
| 1987 | 1.02 billion cubic meters | +9.2% |
| 1988 | 1.11 billion cubic meters | +8.4% |
| 1989 | 1.19 billion cubic meters | +7.8% |
| 1990 | 1.28 billion cubic meters | +7.2% |
| 1991 | 1.58 billion cubic meters | +23.6% |
| 1992 | 1.88 billion cubic meters | +19.1% |
| 1993 | 2.19 billion cubic meters | +16.0% |
| 1994 | 2.49 billion cubic meters | +13.8% |
| 1995 | 2.79 billion cubic meters | +12.1% |
| 1996 | 3.09 billion cubic meters | +10.8% |
| 1997 | 3.39 billion cubic meters | +9.8% |
| 1998 | 3.70 billion cubic meters | +8.9% |
| 1999 | 4.00 billion cubic meters | +8.2% |
| 2000 | 4.30 billion cubic meters | +7.6% |
| 2001 | 4.09 billion cubic meters | -5.0% |
| 2002 | 3.87 billion cubic meters | -5.2% |
| 2003 | 3.66 billion cubic meters | -5.5% |
| 2004 | 3.44 billion cubic meters | -5.9% |
| 2005 | 3.23 billion cubic meters | -6.2% |
| 2006 | 3.01 billion cubic meters | -6.6% |
| 2007 | 2.80 billion cubic meters | -7.1% |
| 2008 | 2.59 billion cubic meters | -7.7% |
| 2009 | 2.37 billion cubic meters | -8.3% |
| 2010 | 2.16 billion cubic meters | -9.0% |
| 2011 | 1.94 billion cubic meters | -9.9% |
| 2012 | 1.73 billion cubic meters | -11.0% |
| 2013 | 1.51 billion cubic meters | -12.4% |
| 2014 | 1.30 billion cubic meters | -14.2% |
| 2015 | 1.11 billion cubic meters | -14.6% |
| 2016 | 1.23 billion cubic meters | +10.8% |
| 2017 | 1.15 billion cubic meters | -6.5% |
| 2018 | 1.07 billion cubic meters | -7.0% |
| 2019 | 6.90 billion cubic meters | +544.9% |
| 2020 | 7.94 billion cubic meters | +15.0% |
| 2021 | 7.84 billion cubic meters | -1.3% |
| 2022 | 7.45 billion cubic meters | -5.0% |
| 2023 | 7.45 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 7.45 billion cubic meters is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 542.00 million cubic meters, 13.7× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 7.45 billion cubic meters is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 700.00 million cubic meters, 10.6× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Municipal water withdrawal in Iraq changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | +544.9% | 1.07 billion cubic meters | 6.90 billion cubic meters |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 634.00 million cubic meters | 580.00 million cubic meters | 688.00 million cubic meters | 5 |
| 1980s | 895.50 million cubic meters | 715.00 million cubic meters | 1.19 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.64 billion cubic meters | 1.28 billion cubic meters | 4.00 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.34 billion cubic meters | 2.37 billion cubic meters | 4.30 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.01 billion cubic meters | 1.07 billion cubic meters | 6.90 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 7.67 billion cubic meters | 7.45 billion cubic meters | 7.94 billion cubic meters | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
- 11 Philippines 9.61 billion cubic meters compare
- 12 Germany 9.55 billion cubic meters compare
- 13 Italy 9.15 billion cubic meters compare
- 15 Turkey 7.14 billion cubic meters compare
- 16 South Korea 6.67 billion cubic meters compare
- 17 United Kingdom 6.23 billion cubic meters 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)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is municipal water withdrawal in Iraq?
- Municipal water withdrawal in Iraq was 7.45 billion cubic meters in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest municipal water withdrawal recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 7.94 billion cubic meters in 2020.
- What is the lowest municipal water withdrawal recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 580.00 million cubic meters in 1975.
- How does Iraq rank for municipal water withdrawal?
- Iraq ranks 14th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is municipal water withdrawal rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 391.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations – AQUASTAT (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Municipal water withdrawal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 49 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Water withdrawn each year for direct use by the population, usually measured as the total supplied by the public distribution network.