Iraq Reduces Dairy and Egg Imports by Nearly 50% in 2025

Iraq's importation of dairy products, bird eggs, and natural honey experienced a significant decrease in 2025, dropping to $530.3 million from $1.024 billion the previous year, according to international trade data released on Thursday. This marked a decline of nearly 48%.

Despite this sharp decrease, Iraq maintained its position as one of the world's largest importers of these products. The import levels had previously peaked at $1.332 billion in 2023, rising from $974.6 million in 2022 and $872.7 million in 2021.

In 2025, cheese and curd formed the largest segment of imports, amounting to $232.6 million. Bird eggs were the second largest category, with imports valued at $176.3 million. Concentrated and sweetened milk and cream imports reached $39.8 million, while butter and other milk-derived fats totaled $39.2 million.

Additionally, imports of non-concentrated milk and cream stood at $31.1 million. The remaining imports consisted of yogurt, whey, natural honey, and other edible animal products, completing the overall import value.

This reduction in imports comes after years of increasing import volumes, highlighting a significant shift in Iraq's trade patterns concerning these products.