Oil reserves in Iraq
Iraq: Oil reserves was 23.06 billion cubic meters in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
23.06 billion cubic meters
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
5th
of 216 countries
All-time high
23.65 billion cubic meters
in 2018
All-time low
4.72 billion cubic meters
in 1982
Years of data
42
1980–2021
Oil reserves in Iraq, 1980–2021
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in cubic meters.
Analysis
In 2021, oil reserves in Iraq stood at 23.06 billion cubic meters.
The figure is up 26.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, oil reserves in Iraq peaked at 23.65 billion cubic meters in 2018 and was at its lowest, 4.72 billion cubic meters, in 1982.
Iraq ranks 5th of 216 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Oil reserves in Iraq, year by year
| Year | cubic meters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 4.93 billion cubic meters | — |
| 1981 | 4.77 billion cubic meters | -3.2% |
| 1982 | 4.72 billion cubic meters | -1.0% |
| 1983 | 6.52 billion cubic meters | +38.0% |
| 1984 | 6.84 billion cubic meters | +4.9% |
| 1985 | 7.07 billion cubic meters | +3.5% |
| 1986 | 7.01 billion cubic meters | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 7.49 billion cubic meters | +6.8% |
| 1988 | 15.90 billion cubic meters | +112.3% |
| 1989 | 15.90 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 15.90 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 15.90 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 15.90 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 15.90 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 15.90 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 15.90 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 15.90 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 17.81 billion cubic meters | +12.0% |
| 1998 | 17.89 billion cubic meters | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 17.89 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 17.89 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 17.89 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 17.89 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 17.89 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 18.28 billion cubic meters | +2.2% |
| 2005 | 18.28 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 18.28 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 18.28 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 18.28 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 18.28 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 18.28 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 18.28 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 22.75 billion cubic meters | +24.4% |
| 2013 | 22.47 billion cubic meters | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 22.31 billion cubic meters | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 22.93 billion cubic meters | +2.8% |
| 2016 | 22.75 billion cubic meters | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 22.66 billion cubic meters | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 23.65 billion cubic meters | +4.4% |
| 2019 | 23.41 billion cubic meters | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 23.06 billion cubic meters | -1.5% |
| 2021 | 23.06 billion cubic meters | +0.0% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 23.06 billion cubic meters is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 13.69 million cubic meters, 1684.1× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 23.06 billion cubic meters is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 397.47 million cubic meters, 58.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8.11 billion cubic meters | 4.72 billion cubic meters | 15.90 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.49 billion cubic meters | 15.90 billion cubic meters | 17.89 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.12 billion cubic meters | 17.89 billion cubic meters | 18.28 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.95 billion cubic meters | 18.28 billion cubic meters | 23.65 billion cubic meters | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.06 billion cubic meters | 23.06 billion cubic meters | 23.06 billion cubic meters | 2 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More energy & mining data for Iraq
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 4 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 22.9% (2014)
Frequently asked questions
- What is oil reserves in Iraq?
- Oil reserves in Iraq was 23.06 billion cubic meters in 2021, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest oil reserves recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 23.65 billion cubic meters in 2018.
- What is the lowest oil reserves recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.72 billion cubic meters in 1982.
- How does Iraq rank for oil reserves?
- Iraq ranks 5th out of 216 countries with data for 2021.
- Is oil reserves rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is up 26.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Oil reserves. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Proved reserves, measured in cubic meters, are generally those quantities that can be recovered in the future from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating conditions, according to geological and engineering information. Includes crude oil and lease condensate.