Iraq customs revenue doubles in October to 526 billion dinars

Summary

• Iraqi customs collected over 526 billion dinars in October 2026, up 103% year-on-year.
• The figure compares with over 259 billion dinars in the same month of 2025.
• Higher customs intake strengthens non-oil revenue feeding Iraq's budget.

The latest

Iraq's customs revenue more than doubled in October 2026, reaching over 526 billion dinars against over 259 billion dinars in the same month last year, the General Authority of Customs announced. Director General Thamer Qasim Dawood put the increase at more than 267 billion dinars, attributing the jump to tighter oversight and wider automation of customs procedures.

Details

• The numbers: Dawood said October 2026 collections exceeded 526 billion dinars, a 103% rise over the more than 259 billion dinars recorded in October 2025. The year-on-year gain amounted to more than 267 billion dinars, roughly doubling the monthly take in a single reporting period.
• The official framing: Dawood described the result as tangible progress in customs collection levels, according to a statement carried by the Iraqi News Agency. He tied the performance to the authority's broader effort to strengthen oversight and upgrade customs procedures rather than to any one-off factor.
• The digital push: The director general credited the expansion of automation and digital transformation through the ASYCUDA system, the UN-developed customs management platform Iraq has been rolling out across its border and port operations, as a driver of improved collection.
• The budget angle: Dawood said the authority is continuing to implement plans aimed at maximizing non-oil revenue and protecting public funds, so that the customs sector contributes more directly to supporting the national economy and the state's general budget.
• Why non-oil matters: Customs duties sit among the main non-oil income streams available to the Iraqi treasury. Any sustained increase in that line reduces the share of budget financing that must come from crude exports, which remain exposed to price swings in global markets.
• Scope of the figures: The authority released a single monthly comparison rather than cumulative annual totals, and did not break the 526 billion dinars down by border crossing, port, or commodity category. No breakdown was given between higher trade volumes and tighter enforcement.
• The mechanism cited: Automation of customs declarations is intended to narrow the space for undervaluation and manual discretion at crossings. Dawood presented oversight and procedural development as working alongside the digital rollout rather than as separate tracks.
• What was not set out: The authority did not announce a revenue target for the remainder of 2026, nor a timeline for completing the ASYCUDA rollout across all crossings. No figures were given for neighboring months to establish whether October marks a trend or a spike.

Background

ASYCUDA is a customs automation platform used by dozens of countries to process declarations electronically. Iraq has been extending it across crossings as part of a wider effort to raise collection and reduce leakage in non-oil revenue channels.

Between the lines

The authority is framing a single-month figure as evidence of structural reform rather than a volume effect, with automation and oversight cited as the reasons. Because no breakdown by crossing or commodity accompanied the announcement, the durability of the 103% gain rests on whether comparable monthly figures follow. Doubling in one month sets a benchmark that subsequent reporting will be measured against.

What's next

Watch November and December collection figures from the customs authority for whether the gain holds, and the 2027 budget's non-oil revenue assumptions for how much weight Baghdad places on customs income.

Source: Iraqi News Agency (INA)