01Key Takeaways
- Iraq imported $24.62 billion worth of goods in 2023, up 12.58% from $21.87 billion in 2022.
- Mineral fuels led every import category at 17.63% ($4.34 billion), a striking figure given Iraq is one of the world's largest crude oil exporters.
- Vehicles and machinery together made up nearly a quarter of imports, reflecting ongoing reconstruction and infrastructure investment.
- China was Iraq's largest named import source at 17.65%, with Iran close behind at 15.16%, largely gas and electricity.
023-Year Trend
| Year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $14.0B | $21.9B | $24.6B |
03Top Import Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | $4.3B | 17.6% |
| 2 | Areas, nes | $4.3B | 17.5% |
| 3 | Iran | $3.7B | 15.2% |
| 4 | United States | $1.5B | 6.1% |
| 5 | Other Asia, nes | $1.1B | 4.6% |
| 6 | United Arab Emirates | $975.5M | 4.0% |
| 7 | India | $962.4M | 3.9% |
| 8 | South Korea | $856.3M | 3.5% |
| 9 | Japan | $631.3M | 2.6% |
| 10 | Jordan | $611.1M | 2.5% |
04Top Import Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $4.3B | 17.6% |
| 2 | Vehicles other than Railway or Tramway Rolling-Stock, and parts and accessories thereof | $3.2B | 13.1% |
| 3 | Nuclear Reactors, Boilers, Machinery and Mechanical Appliances; Parts thereof | $2.9B | 11.6% |
| 4 | Pharmaceutical Products | $1.8B | 7.3% |
| 5 | Articles of Iron or Steel | $1.5B | 6.2% |
| 6 | Electrical Machinery and Equipment and parts thereof; Sound Recorders and Reproducers, Television Image and Sound Recorders and Reproducers, and Parts and Accessories of such Articles | $1.1B | 4.6% |
| 7 | Plastics and Articles thereof | $966.1M | 3.9% |
| 8 | Dairy Produce; Birds' Eggs; Natural Honey; Edible Products of Animal Origin, not elsewhere specified or included | $806.0M | 3.3% |
| 9 | Cereals | $695.9M | 2.8% |
| 10 | Iron and Steel | $632.4M | 2.6% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
A Top Oil Exporter That Still Imports Fuel, Gas, and Electricity
Iraq imported $24.62 billion worth of goods in 2023. Mineral fuels led every category at 17.63% of the total, worth $4.34 billion, a striking figure for one of the world's largest crude oil exporters. The gap reflects Iraq's limited domestic refining capacity and an electricity grid that depends heavily on imported natural gas to keep power plants running. A two-week pipeline maintenance stoppage in Iran once cut Iraq's gas imports by roughly 70%, causing the national grid to lose 5,500 megawatts of capacity and triggering power cuts, a stark illustration of how tightly Iraq's electricity supply is tied to imported fuel.
Vehicles ranked second at 13.07% ($3.22 billion), and machinery and mechanical appliances took third at 11.61% ($2.86 billion), together reflecting ongoing reconstruction and infrastructure investment across the country. A Chinese state-owned contractor recently won a $1.32 billion contract to build the water transmission system for a major seawater desalination project near Basra, spanning 240 kilometers of pipeline with capacity for a million cubic meters of water a day, one example of the growing role Chinese firms play in Iraq's infrastructure buildout. Pharmaceutical products added 7.35% ($1.81 billion), and iron or steel articles contributed 6.22% ($1.53 billion).
Electrical machinery took 4.59% ($1.13 billion), and plastics and articles thereof added 3.92% ($966.06 million). Dairy produce contributed 3.27% ($805.96 million), cereals added 2.83% ($695.88 million), and iron and steel closed out the top ten categories at 2.57% ($632.37 million).
China, Unspecified Sources, and Iran Together Supply Half of Iraq's Imports
China supplied 17.65% of Iraq's imports in 2023, worth $4.35 billion, the largest single named source. A close second, an aggregated category labeled Areas, not elsewhere specified, accounted for 17.51% ($4.31 billion), echoing the same reporting pattern seen on Iraq's export side. Iran followed at 15.16% ($3.73 billion), consistent with the gas and electricity imports described above. Together, these top three sources made up 50.32% of total import value.
United States added 6.12% ($1.51 billion), and another aggregated category, Other Asia, not elsewhere specified, contributed 4.64% ($1.14 billion). United Arab Emirates took 3.96% ($975.53 million), and India added 3.91% ($962.38 million). South Korea contributed 3.48% ($856.33 million), and Japan took 2.56% ($631.30 million). Jordan closed out the top ten list at 2.48% ($611.08 million).
Imports Have Nearly Doubled Since 2021
This dataset has confirmed import figures for Iraq covering only three years, 2021, 2022, and 2023, rather than the full five-year window available for most other countries. Imports stood at $13.97 billion in 2021, then jumped to $21.87 billion in 2022 as the country's reconstruction and consumption needs grew alongside a 2022 surge in oil revenue. The 2023 total of $24.62 billion, up 12.58% year over year, continued that climb.
That growth lines up with the same 2022 oil-revenue windfall covered on the export side of Iraq's trade data, even though the two totals moved in opposite directions in 2023. Exports fell as oil prices cooled, while imports kept climbing. Higher oil income in 2022 likely fed through into 2023 import spending with something of a lag, as government and consumer purchasing power took time to catch up with the prior year's revenue surge.