ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq has the highest number of palm trees and ranks fourth in date production globally, a ministry official said on Sunday.
“As of 2025, the number of palm trees in Iraq is estimated to exceed 22 million, with plans to increase this figure to 30 million in the coming years,” said Mithaak Abdul-Hussein, technical undersecretary for the Iraqi agriculture ministry, as reported by state media.
Abdul-Hussein explained that Iraq ranks fourth globally in date production, highlighting a “notable increase in production in recent years.”
“In terms of palm tree count, some data suggests Iraq ranks first with 22 million trees, followed by Iran with 21 million, Saudi Arabia with 12 million, Algeria with 9 million, and both Egypt and Libya with 7 million each, according to available statistics,” he added.
Iraq produced 800,000 tons of dates in 2024, the fourth largest number in the world, and exported over 700,000 tons, according to Abdul-Hussein.
He credited the progress to the ministry’s efforts in supporting the local agriculture sector “as part of a broader strategy to diversify the national economy and reduce dependence on oil.”
Iraq had 33 million date palm trees 70 years ago, according to data from the agriculture ministry, but severe climate change and water quality deterioration, particularly in the southern Basra province, caused millions of trees to dry up.
According to World Bank data, dates are Iraq's second-largest export after oil.
