Total natural resource rents in Iraq
Iraq: Total natural resource rents was 43.4% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Total natural resource rents in Iraq, 1970–2021
Source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for total natural resource rents in Iraq is 43.4%, measured in 2021.
The figure is up 58.5% on the previous year and down 15.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total natural resource rents in Iraq peaked at 67.4% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 9.5%, in 1990.
Iraq ranks 2nd of 211 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.
Total natural resource rents in Iraq, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 16.0% | — |
| 1971 | 19.8% | +23.4% |
| 1972 | 20.7% | +4.4% |
| 1973 | 29.2% | +41.0% |
| 1974 | 62.5% | +114.4% |
| 1975 | 59.6% | -4.7% |
| 1976 | 53.4% | -10.3% |
| 1977 | 50.1% | -6.2% |
| 1978 | 46.7% | -6.7% |
| 1980 | 55.3% | +18.3% |
| 1981 | 27.2% | -50.9% |
| 1982 | 20.0% | -26.2% |
| 1983 | 20.6% | +2.9% |
| 1984 | 21.1% | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 23.7% | +12.1% |
| 1986 | 14.2% | -39.8% |
| 1987 | 20.1% | +40.9% |
| 1988 | 19.7% | -1.8% |
| 1989 | 28.4% | +43.9% |
| 1990 | 9.5% | -66.5% |
| 1994 | 67.4% | +610.0% |
| 1995 | 23.1% | -65.8% |
| 1996 | 36.5% | +58.0% |
| 1997 | 32.1% | -11.9% |
| 1998 | 37.1% | +15.5% |
| 1999 | 37.0% | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 48.9% | +32.0% |
| 2001 | 49.6% | +1.4% |
| 2002 | 47.0% | -5.2% |
| 2003 | 53.3% | +13.5% |
| 2004 | 64.8% | +21.5% |
| 2005 | 65.3% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 63.7% | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 53.2% | -16.5% |
| 2008 | 55.7% | +4.6% |
| 2009 | 39.5% | -29.0% |
| 2010 | 43.6% | +10.3% |
| 2011 | 51.2% | +17.5% |
| 2012 | 49.9% | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 45.6% | -8.6% |
| 2014 | 46.9% | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 37.5% | -20.0% |
| 2016 | 33.2% | -11.4% |
| 2017 | 39.2% | +18.0% |
| 2018 | 46.1% | +17.7% |
| 2019 | 40.6% | -12.0% |
| 2020 | 27.4% | -32.5% |
| 2021 | 43.4% | +58.5% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 43.4% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.8%, 23.6× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 43.4% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 5.1%, 8.5× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Total natural resource rents 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | +610.0% | 9.5% | 67.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 39.8% | 16.0% | 62.5% | 9 |
| 1980s | 25.0% | 14.2% | 55.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 34.7% | 9.5% | 67.4% | 7 |
| 2000s | 54.1% | 39.5% | 65.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.4% | 33.2% | 51.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 35.4% | 27.4% | 43.4% | 2 |
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 total natural resource rents in Iraq?
- Total natural resource rents in Iraq was 43.4% in 2021, according to The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest total natural resource rents recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 67.4% in 1994.
- What is the lowest total natural resource rents recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.5% in 1990.
- How does Iraq rank for total natural resource rents?
- Iraq ranks 2nd out of 211 countries with data for 2021.
- Is total natural resource rents rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Total natural resource rents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 48 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Natural resources rents are estimated as the difference between the price of a commodity and the average cost of producing it. Total natural resources rents are the sum of oil rents, natural gas rents, coal rents, mineral rents, and forest rents.