Made here

The twenty imports Iraq is best placed to replace.

Iraq imported USD 40bn of manufactured goods in 2024 and exported USD 125m. These are the twenty that sit closest to what it already makes well, with how concentrated the supply of each is.

Choose a country

USD 3.0bnthe twenty, imported in 2024

275products imported at scale, not yet exported well, and close to existing strengths

19products Iraq already exports well

650product lines imported at USD 10m or more

The twenty

Demand, capability, exposure. Nothing else is claimed.

Each line shows the import bill, where it comes from, the nearest thing Iraq already exports well, and how many countries make it. It does not say whether a plant in Iraq would pay. That reason is not in any trade record, and it is the maker's question.

This edition is trade and capability only, scored out of 8. The UK edition adds which public bodies buy each product and which region holds the capability; those layers are built only where a country publishes contract awards and regional trade, and Iraq does not publish them in a form this record can read yet.

1

Sanitary towels (pads) and tampons, napkins (diapers), napkin liners and similar articles, of any materialHS 961900

Comes fromTurkey 78%, 20 source countries

Nearest export strengthnone named

Exports of this lineUSD 231k

Countries that export it well34

Score 8 of 8: import bill USD 348m, top 1 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Iraq's export strengths in the top 6 per cent (3); Turkey supplies 78 per cent (2).

USD 348mup 7% on 2022
2

Vegetable preparations: tomatoes, (other than whole or in pieces), prepared or preserved otherwise than by vinegar or...HS 200290

Comes fromChina 66%, 9 source countries

Nearest export strengthnone named

Exports of this lineUSD 152k

Countries that export it well24

Score 8 of 8: import bill USD 238m, top 3 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Iraq's export strengths in the top 9 per cent (3); China supplies 66 per cent (2).

USD 238mdown 43% on 2022
3

Food preparations: bakers' wares n.e.c. in heading no. 1605, whether or not containing cocoa: communion wafers, empty...HS 190590

Comes fromTurkey 83%, 34 source countries

Nearest export strengthnone named

Exports of this lineUSD 253k; 2 more lines in the heading, USD 371m

Countries that export it well47

Score 8 of 8: import bill USD 198m, top 4 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Iraq's export strengths in the top 5 per cent (3); Turkey supplies 83 per cent (2).

USD 198mdown 17% on 2022
4

Cigarettes: containing tobaccoHS 240220

Comes fromArmenia 59%, 19 source countries

Nearest export strengthnone named

Exports of this lineUSD 46k

Countries that export it well41

Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 323m, top 2 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Iraq's export strengths in the top 4 per cent (3); Armenia supplies 59 per cent (1).

USD 323mdown 75% on 2022
5

Dog or cat food: (not put up for retail sale), used in animal feedingHS 230990

Comes fromTurkey 58%, 35 source countries

Nearest export strengthnone named

Exports of this lineUSD 227k; 1 more line in the heading, USD 26m

Countries that export it well48

Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 215m, top 4 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Iraq's export strengths in the top 2 per cent (3); Turkey supplies 58 per cent (1).

USD 215mdown 19% on 2022
6

Aluminium: alloys, bars, rods and profiles, other than hollowHS 760429

Comes fromTurkey 95%, 15 source countries

Nearest export strengthnone named

Exports of this linenone recorded; 1 more line in the heading, USD 79m

Countries that export it well31

Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 194m, top 4 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Iraq's export strengths in the top 19 per cent (2); Turkey supplies 95 per cent (2).

USD 194mup 11% on 2022
7

Medium density fibreboard (MDF), of a thickness exceeding 9 mmHS 441114

Comes fromTurkey 90%, 11 source countries

Nearest export strengthnone named

Exports of this linenone recorded; 1 more line in the heading, USD 16m

Countries that export it well30

Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 146m, top 8 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Iraq's export strengths in the top 13 per cent (2); Turkey supplies 90 per cent (2).

USD 146mup 17% on 2022
8

Copper: stranded wire, cables, plaited bands and the like, not electrically insulatedHS 741300

Comes fromSaudi Arabia 99%, 14 source countries

Nearest export strengthnone named

Exports of this lineUSD 8m

Countries that export it well20

Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 142m, top 8 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Iraq's export strengths in the top 22 per cent (2); Saudi Arabia supplies 99 per cent (2).

USD 142mup 62% on 2022
9

Food preparations: pasta, containing eggs, uncooked, not stuffed or otherwise preparedHS 190211

Comes fromSaudi Arabia 98%, 8 source countries

Nearest export strengthnone named

Exports of this linenone recorded; 2 more lines in the heading, USD 88m

Countries that export it well18

Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 127m, top 9 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Iraq's export strengths in the top 25 per cent (2); Saudi Arabia supplies 98 per cent (2).

USD 127mfrom USD 14m in 2022
10

Mechanical appliances: agricultural or horticultural, n.e.c. in heading 8424HS 842482

Comes fromSaudi Arabia 66%, 10 source countries

Nearest export strengthnone named

Exports of this linenone recorded; 2 more lines in the heading, USD 23m

Countries that export it well18

Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 127m, top 9 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Iraq's export strengths in the top 19 per cent (2); Saudi Arabia supplies 66 per cent (2).

USD 127mup 160% on 2022
11

Carpets and other textile floor coverings: woven, (not tufted or flocked), of man-made textile materials, of pile...HS 570242

Comes fromTurkey 93%, 8 source countries

Nearest export strengthnone named

Exports of this lineUSD 53k; 3 more lines in the heading, USD 73m

Countries that export it well13

Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 125m, top 9 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Iraq's export strengths in the top 22 per cent (2); Turkey supplies 93 per cent (2).

USD 125mup 19% on 2022
12

Track suits and other garments n.e.c.: men's or boys', of man-made fibres (not knitted or crocheted)HS 621133

Comes fromChina 98%, 19 source countries

Nearest export strengthnone named

Exports of this lineUSD 1k; 1 more line in the heading, USD 27m

Countries that export it well36

Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 122m, top 10 per cent of candidates (3); proximity to Iraq's export strengths in the top 13 per cent (2); China supplies 98 per cent (2).

USD 122mup 49% on 2022
13

Washing and cleaning preparations: powders, flakes and granules, surface-active, whether or not containing soap...HS 340250

Comes fromTurkey 71%, 30 source countries

Nearest export strengthnone named

Exports of this lineUSD 314k; 2 more lines in the heading, USD 54m

Countries that export it well39

Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 106m, top 11 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Iraq's export strengths in the top 3 per cent (3); Turkey supplies 71 per cent (2).

USD 106mup 14% on 2022
14

Sugar confectionery: (excluding chewing gum, including white chocolate), not containing cocoaHS 170490

Comes fromTurkey 61%, 38 source countries

Nearest export strengthnone named

Exports of this lineUSD 794k; 1 more line in the heading, USD 20m

Countries that export it well37

Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 102m, top 12 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Iraq's export strengths in the top 10 per cent (3); Turkey supplies 61 per cent (2).

USD 102mdown 34% on 2022
15

Chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa: n.e.c. in chapter 18HS 180690

Comes fromTurkey 65%, 39 source countries

Nearest export strengthnone named

Exports of this lineUSD 76k; 3 more lines in the heading, USD 151m

Countries that export it well35

Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 95m, top 12 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Iraq's export strengths in the top 10 per cent (3); Turkey supplies 65 per cent (2).

USD 95mup 5% on 2022
16

Fertilizers, mineral or chemical: diammonium hydrogenorthophosphate (diammonium phosphate)HS 310530

Comes fromTurkey 79%, 3 source countries

Nearest export strengthnone named

Exports of this linenone recorded; 2 more lines in the heading, USD 41m

Countries that export it well17

Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 90m, top 14 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Iraq's export strengths in the top 4 per cent (3); Turkey supplies 79 per cent (2).

USD 90mup 18% on 2022
17

Marble, travertine and alabaster: simply cut or sawn, with a flat or even surfaceHS 680221

Comes fromTurkey 90%, 9 source countries

Nearest export strengthnone named

Exports of this lineUSD 136k; 2 more lines in the heading, USD 37m

Countries that export it well20

Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 88m, top 14 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Iraq's export strengths in the top 6 per cent (3); Turkey supplies 90 per cent (2).

USD 88mdown 20% on 2022
18

Iron or non-alloy steel: bars and rods, forged, hot-rolled, hot-drawn or hot-extruded, but including those twisted...HS 721410

Comes fromSaudi Arabia 100%, 3 source countries

Nearest export strengthnone named

Exports of this linenone recorded; 1 more line in the heading, USD 13m

Countries that export it well10

Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 87m, top 14 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Iraq's export strengths in the top 1 per cent (3); Saudi Arabia supplies 100 per cent (2).

USD 87mfrom USD 149k in 2022
19

Iron or steel (excluding cast iron): tubes, pipes and hollow profiles (not seamless), welded, of square or rectangular...HS 730661

Comes fromTurkey 76%, 7 source countries

Nearest export strengthnone named

Exports of this lineUSD 8k; 2 more lines in the heading, USD 57m

Countries that export it well40

Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 83m, top 15 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Iraq's export strengths in the top 1 per cent (3); Turkey supplies 76 per cent (2).

USD 83mdown 45% on 2022
20

Boring or sinking machinery: parts for boring or sinking machinery of subheading 8430.41 or 8430.49HS 843143

Comes fromChina 74%, 26 source countries

Nearest export strengthnone named

Exports of this lineUSD 36k; 3 more lines in the heading, USD 65m

Countries that export it well26

Score 7 of 8: import bill USD 81m, top 16 per cent of candidates (2); proximity to Iraq's export strengths in the top 3 per cent (3); China supplies 74 per cent (2).

USD 81mdown 45% on 2022

The whole record for one line, as a document

Work email

The bill and its path, the sources and their unit values, who exports the line well, the nearest strengths, the public buyers where a country publishes them, and the method. We reply by email. Privacy

One line per customs heading. Products Iraq already exports well and still imports are below, because they are a different conversation. No employment figures appear on this page, by decision.

Made here already, still imported

Scale conversations, not capability ones.

No line where the country already exports well and still imports more than it sells abroad.

How the twenty were chosen

Three scores, each from a field the record carries.

Import bill, 0 to 3, by percentile among the 650 lines imported at USD 10m or more: above the median one point, top quarter two, top tenth three.

Proximity to export strengths, 0 to 3, on the same percentiles: the product-space method (Hidalgo, Klinger, Barabasi and Hausmann, Science 2007) on CEPII's BACI file of every bilateral trade flow for 2024, 157 countries and 5,388 products. Two products are close when the countries that export one well tend to export the other well. Only products in the upper half for proximity can enter the list at all: best placed is a proximity claim.

Supply concentration, 0 to 2: one point when a single country supplies 40 per cent or more, two at 60 per cent.

Scope. Manufactured goods, customs chapters 16 to 96, excluding ores, fuels and precious metals. Primary agriculture is out of scope for a page about manufacture.

What it cannot tell you

A map of where to look.

Trade data says what crossed the border, not why. Cost, scale, patents, tariffs and the plain fact that a supplier is good at it are all invisible here. The world file reconciles what each pair of countries reports, so a national customs file would differ in detail. Nothing on this page is a forecast or a promise.

Source: CEPII BACI, HS22, version 202601, years 2022 to 2024. Edition of 2026-11-03. The UK edition with its procurement and regional layers is at /made-here/.

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What Iraq buys, and from whom: the trade lanes into Iraq.

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The twenty imports Iraq is best placed to replace.

Demand, capability, exposure. Nothing else is claimed.

Sanitary towels (pads) and tampons, napkins (diapers), napkin liners and similar articles, of any materialHS 961900

Vegetable preparations: tomatoes, (other than whole or in pieces), prepared or preserved otherwise than by vinegar or...HS 200290

Food preparations: bakers' wares n.e.c. in heading no. 1605, whether or not containing cocoa: communion wafers, empty...HS 190590

Cigarettes: containing tobaccoHS 240220

Dog or cat food: (not put up for retail sale), used in animal feedingHS 230990

Aluminium: alloys, bars, rods and profiles, other than hollowHS 760429

Medium density fibreboard (MDF), of a thickness exceeding 9 mmHS 441114

Copper: stranded wire, cables, plaited bands and the like, not electrically insulatedHS 741300

Food preparations: pasta, containing eggs, uncooked, not stuffed or otherwise preparedHS 190211

Mechanical appliances: agricultural or horticultural, n.e.c. in heading 8424HS 842482

Carpets and other textile floor coverings: woven, (not tufted or flocked), of man-made textile materials, of pile...HS 570242

Track suits and other garments n.e.c.: men's or boys', of man-made fibres (not knitted or crocheted)HS 621133

Washing and cleaning preparations: powders, flakes and granules, surface-active, whether or not containing soap...HS 340250

Sugar confectionery: (excluding chewing gum, including white chocolate), not containing cocoaHS 170490

Chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa: n.e.c. in chapter 18HS 180690

Fertilizers, mineral or chemical: diammonium hydrogenorthophosphate (diammonium phosphate)HS 310530

Marble, travertine and alabaster: simply cut or sawn, with a flat or even surfaceHS 680221

Iron or non-alloy steel: bars and rods, forged, hot-rolled, hot-drawn or hot-extruded, but including those twisted...HS 721410

Iron or steel (excluding cast iron): tubes, pipes and hollow profiles (not seamless), welded, of square or rectangular...HS 730661

Boring or sinking machinery: parts for boring or sinking machinery of subheading 8430.41 or 8430.49HS 843143

Scale conversations, not capability ones.

Three scores, each from a field the record carries.

A map of where to look.

Want the Iraq edition kept current?