Iraq Oil Production Today | Oil Production Live

Current production

~4.5M bbl/day

barrels per day

World share

~5%

of global output

Proven reserves

~145 billion barrels

barrels

OPEC member

Yes

About Iraq oil production

Giant Reserves, Turbulent History, Expanding Output

Iraq is the world's fifth largest oil producer and holds the fifth largest proven oil reserves, yet its production history is one of the most turbulent of any major energy nation. Wars, sanctions, occupation, insurgency, and chronic political dysfunction have repeatedly disrupted what should by geological endowment be one of the world's most productive oil nations. Despite these challenges Iraq has significantly expanded production capacity over the past two decades.

Iraq's oil is concentrated in two main regions — the super-giant fields of southern Iraq near Basra, and the Kirkuk field in the north that has been producing since the 1920s. The southern fields including Rumaila, West Qurna, and Majnoon are among the largest oil fields in the world and have been developed with the involvement of major international oil companies including BP, Shell, ExxonMobil, and Chinese NOCs under service contract arrangements.

Iraq's production capacity has grown substantially since the early 2000s but chronic underinvestment in infrastructure — pipelines, processing facilities, water injection systems needed to maintain reservoir pressure — has repeatedly constrained output below what the geological resource could theoretically support. Corruption, political interference in oil sector management, and disputes between the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government over northern oil fields have added further complications.

Iraq is a core OPEC member but has a history of producing above its assigned quota, creating ongoing tension within the cartel. Oil accounts for over 90 percent of Iraq's government revenue and nearly all of its export earnings — making it one of the most oil-dependent economies in the world.

Quick Facts

Iraq

Production	~4.5 million bbl/day
World share	~5%
Primary regions	Southern Iraq (Basra), Kirkuk
National oil company	Iraq National Oil Company (INOC)
OPEC member	Yes
Proven reserves	~145 billion barrels
Data source	EIA / OPEC estimates

Did you know

Interesting Facts About Iraq Oil

1

Iraq's Rumaila oil field near Basra is one of the largest oil fields in the world — discovered in 1953, it stretches across 1,800 square kilometers and has produced over 20 billion barrels of oil, yet is estimated to still contain over 17 billion barrels of recoverable reserves.

2

Iraq's oil infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed multiple times — during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, the Gulf War of 1991, the 2003 invasion, and the ISIS conflict of 2014-2017 — yet production has recovered each time, demonstrating the resilience of the underlying geological resource.

3

Oil accounts for over 90 percent of Iraq's government revenue and nearly all of its export earnings — making it one of the most oil-dependent economies in the world and creating enormous political stakes around every production and pricing decision.

Common questions

Frequently Asked Questions

How much oil does Iraq produce per day?

Iraq produces approximately 4.3 to 4.5 million barrels of crude oil per day, making it the fifth largest producer in the world and the second largest within OPEC after Saudi Arabia. Production has grown significantly since the early 2000s but remains below Iraq's theoretical capacity due to infrastructure constraints and political complications.

Why hasn't Iraq produced more oil given its huge reserves?

Iraq has the fifth largest proven oil reserves in the world but decades of conflict, sanctions, underinvestment, and political dysfunction have prevented it from developing its full potential. Infrastructure — pipelines, processing facilities, export terminals — is chronically underfunded. Disputes between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government over northern oil revenues have repeatedly disrupted production.

Does Iraq comply with OPEC production quotas?

Iraq has a history of producing above its OPEC-assigned quota — a persistent source of tension within the cartel. Iraq has argued that its quota should be higher to reflect its large reserves and development needs, while other OPEC members have pushed for stricter compliance. Iraq has periodically agreed to compensatory cuts to make up for past overproduction but enforcement remains inconsistent.

Compare producers