CO₂ emissions by sector in Iraq
Iraq: CO₂ emissions by sector was 16.61 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
16.61 million tonnes
Change on year
up 10.4%
World rank
30th
of 187 countries
All-time high
16.61 million tonnes
in 2023
All-time low
3.88 million tonnes
in 1991
Years of data
34
1990–2023
CO₂ emissions by sector in Iraq, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
Iraq recorded 16.61 million tonnes for co₂ emissions by sector in 2023. That is the highest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is up 10.4% on the previous year and up 37.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions by sector in Iraq peaked at 16.61 million tonnes in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3.88 million tonnes, in 1991.
That places Iraq 30th out of 187 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
CO₂ emissions by sector in Iraq, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 6.18 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 3.88 million tonnes | -37.2% |
| 1992 | 4.79 million tonnes | +23.5% |
| 1993 | 5.44 million tonnes | +13.6% |
| 1994 | 6.23 million tonnes | +14.5% |
| 1995 | 5.15 million tonnes | -17.3% |
| 1996 | 5.62 million tonnes | +9.1% |
| 1997 | 5.71 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 5.87 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 5.84 million tonnes | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 6.86 million tonnes | +17.5% |
| 2001 | 7.08 million tonnes | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 7.08 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 6.87 million tonnes | -3.0% |
| 2004 | 7.59 million tonnes | +10.5% |
| 2005 | 9.78 million tonnes | +28.9% |
| 2006 | 10.59 million tonnes | +8.3% |
| 2007 | 11.10 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2008 | 12.62 million tonnes | +13.7% |
| 2009 | 10.46 million tonnes | -17.1% |
| 2010 | 10.86 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 10.97 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 12.07 million tonnes | +10.0% |
| 2013 | 12.07 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 8.88 million tonnes | -26.4% |
| 2015 | 7.21 million tonnes | -18.8% |
| 2016 | 8.05 million tonnes | +11.7% |
| 2017 | 8.98 million tonnes | +11.6% |
| 2018 | 9.28 million tonnes | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 14.54 million tonnes | +56.7% |
| 2020 | 14.52 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2021 | 15.04 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2022 | 15.04 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 16.61 million tonnes | +10.4% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 16.61 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.35 million tonnes, 12.3× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 16.61 million tonnes is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 4.85 million tonnes, 3.4× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.47 million tonnes | 3.88 million tonnes | 6.23 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.00 million tonnes | 6.86 million tonnes | 12.62 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.29 million tonnes | 7.21 million tonnes | 14.54 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.30 million tonnes | 14.52 million tonnes | 16.61 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
- 27 United Arab Emirates 17.54 million tonnes compare
- 28 Netherlands 17.18 million tonnes compare
- 29 Belgium 17.13 million tonnes compare
- 31 Egypt 15.94 million tonnes compare
- 32 South Africa 15.88 million tonnes compare
- 33 Ukraine 14.32 million tonnes compare
More climate change data for Iraq
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 672.48 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 10,634 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 3,750 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 6,884 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 14.15 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 245.84 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 5,859 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 4,294 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 1,565 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 16.21 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is co₂ emissions by sector in Iraq?
- Co₂ emissions by sector in Iraq was 16.61 million tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest co₂ emissions by sector recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 16.61 million tonnes in 2023.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions by sector recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.88 million tonnes in 1991.
- How does Iraq rank for co₂ emissions by sector?
- Iraq ranks 30th out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is co₂ emissions by sector rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of CO₂ emissions by sector. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Emissions are measured in tonnes.