Methane emissions from agriculture in Iraq
Iraq: Methane emissions from agriculture was 4.27 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
4.27 million tonnes
Change on year
up 2.9%
World rank
95th
of 193 countries
All-time high
5.48 million tonnes
in 2012
All-time low
3.03 million tonnes
in 2003
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Methane emissions from agriculture in Iraq, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for methane emissions from agriculture in Iraq is 4.27 million tonnes, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and down 17.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions from agriculture in Iraq peaked at 5.48 million tonnes in 2012 and was at its lowest, 3.03 million tonnes, in 2003.
That places Iraq 95th out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Methane emissions from agriculture in Iraq, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 4.41 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 3.17 million tonnes | -28.1% |
| 1992 | 3.68 million tonnes | +16.1% |
| 1993 | 4.35 million tonnes | +18.2% |
| 1994 | 4.47 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1995 | 4.23 million tonnes | -5.4% |
| 1996 | 3.42 million tonnes | -19.1% |
| 1997 | 3.81 million tonnes | +11.4% |
| 1998 | 4.00 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 1999 | 3.89 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 2000 | 3.82 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 3.75 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 3.71 million tonnes | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 3.03 million tonnes | -18.3% |
| 2004 | 3.34 million tonnes | +10.2% |
| 2005 | 3.84 million tonnes | +15.0% |
| 2006 | 3.98 million tonnes | +3.6% |
| 2007 | 4.17 million tonnes | +4.8% |
| 2008 | 4.25 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2009 | 5.00 million tonnes | +17.6% |
| 2010 | 5.06 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2011 | 5.33 million tonnes | +5.3% |
| 2012 | 5.48 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 5.16 million tonnes | -5.8% |
| 2014 | 5.18 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 3.79 million tonnes | -26.8% |
| 2016 | 3.96 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 2017 | 4.14 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 2018 | 3.82 million tonnes | -7.7% |
| 2019 | 5.24 million tonnes | +37.2% |
| 2020 | 4.91 million tonnes | -6.3% |
| 2021 | 4.83 million tonnes | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 4.15 million tonnes | -14.1% |
| 2023 | 4.27 million tonnes | +2.9% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 4.27 million tonnes is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 3.53 million tonnes, 1.2× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 4.27 million tonnes is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 2.08 million tonnes, 2.1× the median. (22 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.94 million tonnes | 3.17 million tonnes | 4.47 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.89 million tonnes | 3.03 million tonnes | 5.00 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.72 million tonnes | 3.79 million tonnes | 5.48 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.54 million tonnes | 4.15 million tonnes | 4.91 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
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 methane emissions from agriculture in Iraq?
- Methane emissions from agriculture in Iraq was 4.27 million tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest methane emissions from agriculture recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 5.48 million tonnes in 2012.
- What is the lowest methane emissions from agriculture recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.03 million tonnes in 2003.
- How does Iraq rank for methane emissions from agriculture?
- Iraq ranks 95th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is methane emissions from agriculture rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.2%. 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 Methane emissions from agriculture. 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 of carbon dioxide-equivalents.