Iraq’s refined fuel imports fall to 56,000 bpd in Q2 2025

Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraq brought in 56,300 barrels per day (bpd) of refined oil products in the second quarter of 2025, over half of it gasoline, Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Global Commodities reported on Monday.

Imports are down from an average of 90,000 bpd in 2023.

At the same time, Iraq exported more than 180,000 bpd of naphtha—mostly to the United Arab Emirates—and about 300,000 bpd of fuel oil, highlighting how simple domestic refineries often convert crude into lower-value products rather than meeting demand for gasoline and diesel, according to S&P.

The reliance on refined imports underscores Iraq’s limited processing capacity despite being OPEC’s second-largest producer after Saudi Arabia, with oil exports forming the backbone of its economy.