Iraq’s imports fell sharply in 2025, dropping by more than $36 billion from the previous year and marking the country’s steepest decline in import value in recent years.
Iraq imported goods worth $51.1 billion in 2025, down from $87.4 billion in 2024. The decline follows four consecutive years of rising import volumes.
Observers attribute the drop to tighter financial compliance measures introduced through the Central Bank of Iraq’s (CBI) electronic platform, as well as lower oil prices that have weighed on purchasing power and trade activity.
Iraq’s import bill had steadily increased in recent years, rising from $60.9 billion in 2021 to $76.1 billion in 2022, then to $85 billion in 2023 before reaching a peak of $87.4 billion in 2024.
Despite the decline, Iraq remained among the world’s larger importers in 2025. It ranked behind countries including Colombia, Ukraine, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Kazakhstan, while recording higher import values than Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar.
