Over half of Iraq now at risk of desertification, ministry warns
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Iraq’s desertified lands expanded significantly in 2024, according to new data from the Ministry of Planning.
The Ministry’s Central Statistics Office reported on Monday that lands classified as desert or threatened by desertification reached 96,500 square kilometers (km²), accounting for 55.5 percent of Iraq’s total territory. Fully desertified land rose to 40,400 km², or 23.2 percent of the country.
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These figures mark an increase from 2021, when threatened lands stood at 94,300 km² and fully desertified areas at 27,200 km². While the national trend points upward, the report noted, some provinces recorded a statistical decrease in desert zones due to urban expansion encroaching on open land, particularly around Baghdad.
Total cultivated land for the year reached 11,900 km². Rain-fed areas comprised the largest share at 6,700 km², followed by 3,800 km² irrigated by groundwater and 1,500 km² dependent on river water.
The data highlights a continued decline in river-fed agriculture compared to areas using wells. The Ministry attributed this shift to restrictive water policies from Turkiye and Iran that limit flows into Iraq, compounded by low rainfall.
Read more: A century of promises: Iraq’s water diplomacy with Turkiye and Iran
Currently, the United Nations Environment Program ranks Iraq among the world’s five most climate-vulnerable nations due to these intensifying dust storms and land degradation.
