Total natural resource rents in Iraq

Iraq: Total natural resource rents was 43.4% in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
43.4%
Change on year
up 58.5%
World rank
2nd
of 211 countries
All-time high
67.4%
in 1994
All-time low
9.5%
in 1990
Years of data
48
1970–2021

Total natural resource rents in Iraq, 1970–2021

0204060197019952021

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 1 Libya 61.0% compare
  2. 3 Democratic Republic of Congo 38.8% compare
  3. 4 Congo 37.7% compare
  4. 5 Zambia 35.3% compare

See the full ranking of 211 places →

More reference data data for Iraq

All data for Iraq →

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

Indicator
Total natural resource rents
Unit
% of GDP
Source
The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
211 places, 9,209 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed

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.