Exports to Iraq from six major partners fall 29%

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Exports to Iraq from six of its largest trading partners fell by $9.6 billion in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, economist Manar Al-Obaidi revealed on Sunday, citing official customs data released by those economies.

In a report, Al-Obaidi said exports from China, the UAE, Turkey, India, the European Union, and the United States totaled $23.7 billion in the first half of 2026, down from $33.4 billion a year earlier —a 29% decline.

UAE shipments fell 25% from $14.1 billion to $10.6 billion, while Chinese exports dropped 42% from $8.9 billion to $5.2 billion. Turkey’s exports decreased 17% from $4.9 billion to $4.1 billion. EU exports fell 15% from $2.9 billion to $2.5 billion, India’s dropped 51% from $1.8 billion to $900 million, and US exports declined 37% from $761 million to $476 million.

The sharpest declines were concentrated in capital and investment goods. Exports of machinery and mechanical equipment fell 42%, iron and steel products 50%, raw iron and steel 48%, mineral fuels and oils 59%, vehicles 33%, and electrical and electronic equipment 33%.

Consumer and food products proved more resilient or recorded growth. Fruit exports rose 49%, tobacco 24%, clothing 4%, and cereal preparations 1%, while pharmaceutical exports declined by a relatively modest 7%.

According to Al-Obaidi, the UAE supplied 94% of Iraq’s gold and precious metals, 69% of vehicles, and 63% of electrical equipment, much of it through re-exports. China remained Iraq’s largest supplier of machinery and mechanical equipment with a 38% share, while Turkey supplied 75% of fruit imports. The European Union accounted for 56% of Iraq’s pharmaceutical imports, followed by the United States with a 14% share.

Iraq’s overall imports had risen sharply in 2025, reaching $72.3 billion in 2025, up 72.6% from $41.9 billion in 2024, according to the General Authority for Statistics and Geographic Information Systems.

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