ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraq on Sunday reported that border revenues reached more than $1.6 billion in 2025, the highest recorded since 2003, with two months remaining until the year’s end. 

In a statement, Iraq’s border ports authority said that strengthened monitoring and auditing measures at the border crossings have led to a “doubling of revenues, exceeding 2.1 trillion dinars in the first ten months of 2025.” 

The authority noted that the figure reflects the highest rate recorded by the state “since 2003, even though the fiscal year has not yet concluded.”

The revenue increase “clearly reflects the direct impact of government measures in controlling border crossings, reducing financial leakage, and improving collection processes,” it added.

By the year’s end, the body expects the total border revenues to reach a rate “between 2.5 and 2.7 trillion dinars,” claiming that this rise in the amount is not circumstantial but the result of “structural reforms.”

Thamer Qasim, head of the authority, had stated in early September that he expects customs revenues to reach “three trillion dinars” by the end of the year following customs reform measures, asserting that “customs revenues had not exceeded one trillion dinars for 20 years” before 2024

Iraq has been working on digitising its border system. The customs authority began implementing the ASYCUDA system in May, connecting all border systems to a unified center.

The measure enhances the authority’s ability to monitor border activities in real-time, combating corruption and reducing pressure on staff by tracking the movement of trucks and goods from their entry into the country until their exit.