Oil rents as a share of GDP in Iraq
Iraq: Oil rents as a share of GDP was 42.8% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Oil rents as a share of GDP 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
In 2021, oil rents as a share of gdp in Iraq stood at 42.8%.
The figure is up 58.3% on the previous year and down 16.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, oil rents as a share of gdp in Iraq peaked at 65.2% in 2005 and was at its lowest, 9.4%, in 1990.
That places Iraq 2nd out of 199 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 48 years of available data.
Oil rents as a share of GDP in Iraq, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 15.9% | — |
| 1971 | 19.6% | +23.5% |
| 1972 | 20.5% | +4.4% |
| 1973 | 29.0% | +41.4% |
| 1974 | 62.4% | +115.5% |
| 1975 | 59.4% | -4.9% |
| 1976 | 53.2% | -10.4% |
| 1977 | 49.9% | -6.2% |
| 1978 | 46.6% | -6.7% |
| 1980 | 55.2% | +18.6% |
| 1981 | 27.1% | -50.9% |
| 1982 | 20.0% | -26.1% |
| 1983 | 20.6% | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 21.1% | +2.4% |
| 1985 | 23.6% | +12.1% |
| 1986 | 14.1% | -40.1% |
| 1987 | 19.9% | +40.7% |
| 1988 | 19.5% | -2.1% |
| 1989 | 28.1% | +44.3% |
| 1990 | 9.4% | -66.4% |
| 1994 | 65.0% | +589.6% |
| 1995 | 22.3% | -65.8% |
| 1996 | 35.4% | +58.8% |
| 1997 | 31.6% | -10.7% |
| 1998 | 36.6% | +15.9% |
| 1999 | 36.7% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 48.6% | +32.3% |
| 2001 | 49.2% | +1.3% |
| 2002 | 46.7% | -5.1% |
| 2003 | 53.0% | +13.6% |
| 2004 | 64.7% | +22.0% |
| 2005 | 65.2% | +0.8% |
| 2006 | 63.6% | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 52.9% | -16.7% |
| 2008 | 55.4% | +4.6% |
| 2009 | 39.1% | -29.4% |
| 2010 | 43.3% | +10.6% |
| 2011 | 50.9% | +17.7% |
| 2012 | 49.6% | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 45.3% | -8.6% |
| 2014 | 46.6% | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 37.3% | -20.1% |
| 2016 | 33.0% | -11.5% |
| 2017 | 38.9% | +18.1% |
| 2018 | 45.8% | +17.6% |
| 2019 | 40.2% | -12.1% |
| 2020 | 27.0% | -32.8% |
| 2021 | 42.8% | +58.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 39.6% | 15.9% | 62.4% | 9 |
| 1980s | 24.9% | 14.1% | 55.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 33.9% | 9.4% | 65.0% | 7 |
| 2000s | 53.8% | 39.1% | 65.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.1% | 33.0% | 50.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 34.9% | 27.0% | 42.8% | 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 rents as a share of gdp in Iraq?
- Oil rents as a share of gdp in Iraq was 42.8% 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 oil rents as a share of gdp recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 65.2% in 2005.
- What is the lowest oil rents as a share of gdp recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.4% in 1990.
- How does Iraq rank for oil rents as a share of gdp?
- Iraq ranks 2nd out of 199 countries with data for 2021.
- Is oil rents as a share of gdp rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.0%. 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 Oil rents as a share of GDP. 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
Economic profits generated from oil extraction, measured as the difference between production value and costs, expressed as a percentage of gross domestic product.