With exports of hydrocarbons worth US$ 87.3 billion and imports worth US$ 38.9 billion, Iraq succeeded in achieving an enormous trade surplus of US$ 48.4 billion in 2018.
For comparison: Iran’s exports of 98.1 billion US$ are faced with imports of 75.5 billion US$, balance +22.6 billion US$ in 2017/18. Algeria’s exports of 35.2 billion US$ are offset by imports of 46.1 billion US$, balance -10.9 billion US$. For 2019, Iraq’s trade surplus is estimated at 41 billion US$. (All figures GTAI)
Another important fact: With 40 million inhabitants, Iraq is one of the three most populous countries in the Arab world, after Egypt and on a par with Algeria. And with 58% of the population younger than 25, the country has an enormously young and aspiring population.
EUROMAP confirms high double-digit annual growth for Iraq between 2009 and 2018
The EUROMAP-European Plastics and Rubber Machinery's country cluster confirms high double-digit annual growth for Iraq between 2009 and 2018. Iraq thus confirms its position as one of the Middle East’s fastest growing importers of plastprintpack technology and material.