Exporting to Iraq

Iraq Export Guide | Trade Finance Global

Exporting to Iraq

The imports in Iraq declined from US $50,446 million to only US $45,200 million. As reported by the Central Bank of Iraq, the country’s imports averaged US $22,700 million from 1988 to 2014. On the other hand it reached its highest peak amounting to US $50,500 million in 2013 and its lowest point occurred in 1994 at around US $ 2,700 million.

Iraq’s major import commodities are Cars ($1.6 B), Raw Iron Bars (around $1 B), Insulated Wire ($900M), Rice ($850 M) and Delivery Trucks ($800 M). In addition to these items, about 40% percent of Iraq’s main imports are machinery and transport equipment, manufactured articles at about 27%, 10% for mineral fuels and another 7% for chemicals and related products.

These commodities are imported primarily from Turkey ($12 B), China ($6.9 B), South Korea ($2 B), Italy ($1.7 B) and Germany ($1.7 B).

Iraq Country Profile

Official Name (Local Language) Jumhuriyat al-Iraq/Komar-i Eraq
Capital Baghdad
Population 38,146,025
Currency Iraqi Dinar
GDP $173 billion
Languages Arabic
Telephone Dial In 964

Iraq Imports Profile

Imports ($m USD)

37,064

Number of Import Products

1,280

Number of Import Partners

89

Top 5 import partners

Country

Trade

% Partner share

China

10,506

28.35

United Arab Emirates

5,535

14.93

Unspecified

5,226

14.10

Korea, Rep.

2,905

7.84

United States

2,431

6.56

Top 5 Import Products at HS 6 digit level

Export product

Number

Natural gas, liquefied

17.2%

Casings,i/s,int/ext circ c sect,wld ext dia >40

10.9%

Tubes,pipe&hollow profiles,iron or nas,welded,o

10.5%

Natural gas in gaseous state

5.6%

Petroleum oils, etc, (excl. crude); preparation

4.7%

Chart Showing GDP Growth Compared to rest of world

GDP Composition for Iraq

Agriculture

%

Product list

5.7%

Wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, cotton; cattle, sheep, poultry

Industry

%

Industry list

45.1%

Petroleum, chemicals, textiles, leather, construction materials, food processing, fertilizer, metal fabrication/processing

Services

%

Services list

49.3%

Exporting to Iraq: What is trade finance?

The country holds the 44th rank as the largest export economy in the world. New contracts with international oil companies are also forecasted to increase Iraq’s oil exports about the usual level of around 1,900,000 bbl per day. The war with Iran which almost lasted for a decade brought long-term problems for Iraq because major oil export facilities were heavily damage thus the government resorted to borrowing funds and rescheduling foreign debt payments which could ultimately be summed up to reach at least $80 billion total losses. However, in the 1980s, Iraq slowly regained from these losses as oil exports increased after the rehabilitation and construction of the pipelines and facilities. Using the Harmonized System (HS) classification, it has been identified that the top exports of Iraq are Crude Petroleum ($76B), Refined Petroleum ($890 M), Ethers ($140 M), Tropical Fruits ($65 M) and Gold ($50 M) The top export destinations of Iraq meanwhile would include India ($18 B), China ($16B), the United States (at around $12B), South Korea ($8.3B) and Greece ($4.4B).

Information

Exporting from Iraq? Contact our local experts

Iraq Economic Statistics

Government Website

https://www.cabinet.iq/

Sovereign Ratings

https://countryeconomy.com/ratings/iraq

Central Bank

Central Bank of Iraq

Currency USD Exchange Rate

1,179

Unemployment Rate

16%

Population below poverty line

23%

Inflation Rate

2.4%

Prime Lending Rate

6%

GDP

$173 billion

GDP Pro Capita (PPP)

$16,500

Currency Name

Iraqi Dinar

Currency Code

IQD

World Bank Classification

Upper Middle Income

Competitive Industrial Performance

N/A

Corruption Perceptions Index

169/180

Ease of Doing Business

171/190

Enabling Trade Index

N7A

Currency in Iraq

About the Author

Brian Canup is the Editorial & Research Assistant at Trade Finance Global (TFG).

Brian holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MA in International Political Economy from King’s College London.

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