Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Iraq
Iraq: Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture was 15,535 metric tons in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Iraq, 1960–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in metric tons.
Analysis
In 2024, seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Iraq stood at 15,535 metric tons.
That represents a change of down 15.3% on the previous year and down 41.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Iraq peaked at 31,859 metric tons in 2017 and was at its lowest, 0 metric tons, in 1960.
That places Iraq 74th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Iraq, year by year
| Year | metric tons | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1961 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1962 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1963 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1964 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1965 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1966 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1967 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1968 | 0 metric tons | — |
| 1969 | 2 metric tons | — |
| 1970 | 10 metric tons | +400.0% |
| 1971 | 100 metric tons | +900.0% |
| 1972 | 500 metric tons | +400.0% |
| 1973 | 1,000 metric tons | +100.0% |
| 1974 | 1,800 metric tons | +80.0% |
| 1975 | 2,300 metric tons | +27.8% |
| 1976 | 2,746 metric tons | +19.4% |
| 1977 | 3,000 metric tons | +9.2% |
| 1978 | 3,238 metric tons | +7.9% |
| 1979 | 3,443 metric tons | +6.3% |
| 1980 | 3,622 metric tons | +5.2% |
| 1981 | 3,774 metric tons | +4.2% |
| 1982 | 3,899 metric tons | +3.3% |
| 1983 | 3,997 metric tons | +2.5% |
| 1984 | 4,476 metric tons | +12.0% |
| 1985 | 4,441 metric tons | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 4,564 metric tons | +2.8% |
| 1987 | 5,250 metric tons | +15.0% |
| 1988 | 5,000 metric tons | -4.8% |
| 1989 | 3,000 metric tons | -40.0% |
| 1990 | 1,600 metric tons | -46.7% |
| 1991 | 1,750 metric tons | +9.4% |
| 1992 | 4,750 metric tons | +171.4% |
| 1993 | 4,000 metric tons | -15.8% |
| 1994 | 4,100 metric tons | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 2,600 metric tons | -36.6% |
| 1996 | 2,500 metric tons | -3.8% |
| 1997 | 3,400 metric tons | +36.0% |
| 1998 | 7,500 metric tons | +120.6% |
| 1999 | 2,183 metric tons | -70.9% |
| 2000 | 1,745 metric tons | -20.1% |
| 2001 | 2,000 metric tons | +14.6% |
| 2002 | 2,000 metric tons | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 2,000 metric tons | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 13,947 metric tons | +597.3% |
| 2005 | 17,941 metric tons | +28.6% |
| 2006 | 14,867 metric tons | -17.1% |
| 2007 | 15,810 metric tons | +6.3% |
| 2008 | 19,246 metric tons | +21.7% |
| 2009 | 18,732 metric tons | -2.7% |
| 2010 | 20,320 metric tons | +8.5% |
| 2011 | 16,290 metric tons | -19.8% |
| 2012 | 25,040 metric tons | +53.7% |
| 2013 | 14,060 metric tons | -43.8% |
| 2014 | 26,625 metric tons | +89.4% |
| 2015 | 24,803 metric tons | -6.8% |
| 2016 | 28,880 metric tons | +16.4% |
| 2017 | 31,859 metric tons | +10.3% |
| 2018 | 25,782 metric tons | -19.1% |
| 2019 | 22,309 metric tons | -13.5% |
| 2020 | 22,744 metric tons | +1.9% |
| 2021 | 22,734 metric tons | -0.0% |
| 2022 | 21,035 metric tons | -7.5% |
| 2023 | 18,335 metric tons | -12.8% |
| 2024 | 15,535 metric tons | -15.3% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 15,535 metric tons is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5,803 metric tons, 2.7× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 15,535 metric tons is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 5,171 metric tons, 3.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | +900.0% | 10 metric tons | 100 metric tons |
| 2004 | +597.3% | 2,000 metric tons | 13,947 metric tons |
| 1970 | +400.0% | 2 metric tons | 10 metric tons |
| 1972 | +400.0% | 100 metric tons | 500 metric tons |
| 1992 | +171.4% | 1,750 metric tons | 4,750 metric tons |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.2 metric tons | 0 metric tons | 2 metric tons | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,814 metric tons | 10 metric tons | 3,443 metric tons | 10 |
| 1980s | 4,202 metric tons | 3,000 metric tons | 5,250 metric tons | 10 |
| 1990s | 3,438 metric tons | 1,600 metric tons | 7,500 metric tons | 10 |
| 2000s | 10,829 metric tons | 1,745 metric tons | 19,246 metric tons | 10 |
| 2010s | 23,597 metric tons | 14,060 metric tons | 31,859 metric tons | 10 |
| 2020s | 20,077 metric tons | 15,535 metric tons | 22,744 metric tons | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More reference data data for Iraq
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2116 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 7.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3911 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 7.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.7096 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.235 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 13.21 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 30.36 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.13 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Iraq?
- Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture in Iraq was 15,535 metric tons in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 31,859 metric tons in 2017.
- What is the lowest seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 metric tons in 1960.
- How does Iraq rank for seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture?
- Iraq ranks 74th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.7%. 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 (FAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms including fish, molluscs, crustaceans and aquatic plants. Capture fishery production is the volume of wild fish catches landed for all commercial, industrial, recreational and subsistence purposes.