ERBIL — Iraq experienced a significant rise in seismic activity in 2024, with over 500 earthquakes recorded across the country. According to the Iraqi Meteorological and Seismological Directorate, a total of 539 earthquakes were registered last year, ranging from 1.0 to 6.2 on the Richter scale, at depths between 3 to 46 kilometers.

While 231 of the earthquakes originated within Iraq, the majority—308 quakes—came from neighboring countries and extended into Iraqi territory. These external quakes primarily originated from Iran (170), Turkey (116), Syria (11), Kuwait (6), Saudi Arabia (4), and the Arabian Gulf (1).

The Kurdistan Region, particularly Sulaymaniyah province, was the most affected, with the majority of the tremors—73—recorded in Sulaymaniyah alone. Other affected areas included Nineveh with 34, Duhok with 31, and Erbil with 25. Babylon recorded the fewest, with just one earthquake.

October and November 2024 saw the highest levels of seismic activity, with 62 earthquakes in each of those months.

In comparison to 2023, earthquake activity in Iraq rose by 57%, with 311 earthquakes recorded the previous year. The largest number of earthquakes ever recorded in Iraq was in 2018, with 1,599 tremors.

This sharp increase in seismic events, particularly in Sulaymaniyah, underscores the growing risk of earthquakes in Iraq, especially in the Kurdistan Region as well as the border areas.