Arable land in Iraq
Iraq: Arable land was 4.97 million hectares in 2023. ▼ Falling
Arable land in Iraq, 1961–2023
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in hectares.
Analysis
Iraq recorded 4.97 million hectares for arable land in 2023.
The figure is up 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arable land in Iraq peaked at 5.60 million hectares in 1993 and was at its lowest, 3.65 million hectares, in 2009.
That places Iraq 49th out of 206 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.76 million hectares | 4.60 million hectares | 4.85 million hectares | 9 |
| 1970s | 5.05 million hectares | 4.85 million hectares | 5.25 million hectares | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.23 million hectares | 5.00 million hectares | 5.30 million hectares | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.91 million hectares | 4.30 million hectares | 5.60 million hectares | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.42 million hectares | 3.65 million hectares | 4.95 million hectares | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.70 million hectares | 4.00 million hectares | 4.97 million hectares | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.97 million hectares | 4.97 million hectares | 4.97 million hectares | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More agriculture & rural data for Iraq
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.0% (2016)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.1% (2014)
- Rural population 30.1% (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.9% (2025)
- Rural population 14.13 million (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 3.4% (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 8.68 billion current US$ (2025)
- Land under cereal production 1.90 million hectares (2023)
- Cereal yield 2,749 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal production 5.22 million metric tons (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arable land in Iraq?
- Arable land in Iraq was 4.97 million hectares in 2023, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest arable land recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 5.60 million hectares in 1993.
- What is the lowest arable land recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.65 million hectares in 2009.
- How does Iraq rank for arable land?
- Iraq ranks 49th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
- Is arable land 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 FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Arable land (hectares). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Arable land (in hectares) 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. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded.