In 2023, Iraq’s electricity consumption was overwhelmingly supplied by fossil fuels, which accounted for almost 97% of the total. Gas alone supplied about 57%, or more than half of all electricity consumed. Low-carbon electricity contributed only around 1%, while net imports accounted for roughly 2%; the supplied data do not specify whether those imports came from clean or fossil sources. This leaves Iraq highly dependent on fossil electricity, with substantial scope to expand clean generation and reduce the climate impacts and air pollution associated with fossil fuels.

Is Electricity Growing in Iraq?

Electricity consumption per person is growing in Iraq: it reached a new record of about 3,400 kWh in 2023, compared with roughly 3,100 kWh in 2022. That increase of 286 kWh per person represents growth of about 9%, an encouraging step toward meeting rising electricity needs. However, low-carbon generation has not kept pace. It stood at just 39 kWh per person in 2023, compared with its historic peak of 213 kWh in 2006—a decline of 174 kWh, or about 82%. This disappointing contrast makes expanding clean electricity particularly urgent as electrification and growing digital infrastructure increase demand.

Suggestions

Iraq should prioritize large-scale solar development and rooftop installations while considering nuclear electricity as a complementary source of clean generation. Relevant regional examples include Lebanon, where solar supplies almost a third of electricity generation, and Jordan, where it supplies about 15%. The sunny US state of Nevada also demonstrates solar’s potential, with a share of about 35%. For nuclear, Iraq can learn from the United Arab Emirates, where it provides 20% of electricity generation, and from France, where it supplies about two-thirds. These examples support developing a long-term strategy combining solar deployment, stronger electricity networks, and the institutions, workforce, and international partnerships needed for nuclear generation.

History

Iraq’s recorded low-carbon electricity history is dominated by fluctuating hydropower output rather than sustained growth. A gain of 2 TWh in 1990 was largely reversed by a 1.7 TWh decline in 1991. The strongest listed increase came in 2005, when hydro generation rose by 5.5 TWh, but declines in 2007 and 2008 subsequently removed 2.7 TWh. During the 2010s, repeated gains and losses continued: increases in 2010, 2012–2013, and 2016 were interspersed with declines, before a substantial 3.1 TWh recovery in 2019. That recovery was followed by four consecutive annual hydro declines from 2020 through 2023, totaling 3.6 TWh. Solar added 0.3 TWh in 2020, a welcome contribution, but the overall pattern underscores the need for sustained expansion and a more diversified low-carbon electricity supply.

Electricity Imports and Exports

Balance of Trade