Green space has grown rapidly in Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Duhok during the ninth cabinet. Tree planting, new parks, and public green areas have changed the landscape across the region. According to updated figures from Erbil’s park department, green coverage jumped from 15% to over 20%.
This shift shows the government’s strong commitment to the environment. Over the past ten years, green areas across Kurdistan have expanded by more than 10%. Officials also aim to plant 100 million trees in Erbil before 2030. So far, they have already planted 300,000 trees, and the planting process continues daily.
The progress is clear in the numbers. In 2015, Erbil’s green space was only 9.1%. In 2025, it reached 19.8%. Sulaymaniyah had the same starting point and now stands at 19.6%. The growth didn’t happen slowly. From January 2024 to January 2025, Erbil alone planted 131,270 trees. That’s more than double the total planted up to 2019.
Erbil has 644 parks, gardens, and boulevards. Sulaymaniyah follows closely with 603 public green spaces. It also has nearly three million trees spread across the city. In Duhok, green areas cover 12% of the total space. That equals 199,000 square meters, with 168 parks and gardens.
Compared to nearby cities, Kurdistan stands ahead. Green coverage in other places stays below 15% and keeps dropping each year. In contrast, these Kurdish cities are getting greener every season.