Number of airline passengers per year in Iraq
Iraq: Number of airline passengers per year was 3.76 million in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Number of airline passengers per year in Iraq, 1970–2023
Source: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2023, number of airline passengers per year in Iraq stood at 3.76 million.
That represents a change of up 38.6% on the previous year and up 688.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of airline passengers per year in Iraq peaked at 5.43 million in 2019 and was at its lowest, 27,700, in 1991.
That places Iraq 70th out of 183 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number of airline passengers per year in Iraq, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 197,700 | — |
| 1971 | 235,600 | +19.2% |
| 1972 | 186,200 | -21.0% |
| 1973 | 208,800 | +12.1% |
| 1974 | 290,900 | +39.3% |
| 1975 | 387,600 | +33.2% |
| 1976 | 568,000 | +46.5% |
| 1977 | 672,400 | +18.4% |
| 1978 | 675,300 | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 687,800 | +1.9% |
| 1980 | 619,900 | -9.9% |
| 1981 | 457,000 | -26.3% |
| 1982 | 480,600 | +5.2% |
| 1983 | 454,000 | -5.5% |
| 1984 | 435,000 | -4.2% |
| 1985 | 540,000 | +24.1% |
| 1986 | 535,000 | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 535,000 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1.11 million | +108.0% |
| 1989 | 1.16 million | +4.3% |
| 1990 | 701,600 | -39.6% |
| 1991 | 27,700 | -96.1% |
| 1992 | 53,000 | +91.3% |
| 1994 | 31,500 | -40.6% |
| 2010 | 641,129 | +1935.3% |
| 2011 | 761,778 | +18.8% |
| 2012 | 784,944 | +3.0% |
| 2013 | 476,484 | -39.3% |
| 2014 | 476,484 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 2.14 million | +349.7% |
| 2016 | 2.02 million | -5.7% |
| 2017 | 1.59 million | -21.2% |
| 2018 | 4.81 million | +202.4% |
| 2019 | 5.43 million | +12.9% |
| 2020 | 764,661 | -85.9% |
| 2021 | 1.62 million | +111.9% |
| 2022 | 2.71 million | +67.3% |
| 2023 | 3.76 million | +38.6% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 3.76 million is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1.37 million, 2.7× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 3.76 million is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 6.44 million, 58% of the median. (22 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of airline passengers per year 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | +1935.3% | 31,500 | 641,129 |
| 2015 | +349.7% | 476,484 | 2.14 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 411,030 | 186,200 | 687,800 | 10 |
| 1980s | 633,030 | 435,000 | 1.16 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 203,450 | 27,700 | 701,600 | 4 |
| 2010s | 1.91 million | 476,484 | 5.43 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.21 million | 764,661 | 3.76 million | 4 |
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 number of airline passengers per year in Iraq?
- Number of airline passengers per year in Iraq was 3.76 million in 2023, according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of airline passengers per year recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 5.43 million in 2019.
- What is the lowest number of airline passengers per year recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 27,700 in 1991.
- How does Iraq rank for number of airline passengers per year?
- Iraq ranks 70th out of 183 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of airline passengers per year rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 688.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of airline passengers per year. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 38 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
This represents the total rather than unique passenger activity: this means a person who makes multiple trips is counted multiple times.