Iraq’s long-awaited census to shape Iraq's future development plans
Shafaq News/ The Iraqi government has announced plans to conduct thecountry's first general population and housing census in 27 years on November20, 2024.
The last census in 1997 recorded a population of 22.33 million, whilethe Ministry of Planning estimated the 2022 population at around 42 million,with an annual growth rate of 2.5%. For the first time, the census will employtechnology for data collection.
The long-awaited census is considered by experts necessary for thesuccess of Iraq’s five-year development plan since it will provide accuratedata to shape a comprehensive, sustainable strategy centered on the privatesector.
Enumeration and Survey Process
The Ministry of Planning confirmed that preparations for the census areongoing, with the process now entering the final stages. The current phase,which began on September 1, focuses on the enumeration and survey of allhouseholds, buildings, and facilities across Iraq. The process will continuefor two months, during which all family members in the country will also becounted.
Abdul Zahra Al-Hindawi, the Ministry of Planning spokesperson, notedthat "the enumeration and survey process was delayed in the KurdistanRegion due to the involvement of teachers in second-round exams, which delayedtheir participation in training sessions." The process will begin in theKurdistan Region on September 16, 2024, and will conclude on the same date asin other Iraqi provinces.
Al-Hindawi described this phase as the "backbone of the generalcensus," involving 40,000 field researchers across all governorates exceptthe Kurdistan Region. Another 80,000 researchers will be trained bymid-October, bringing the total number to 120,000. All census operations willbe conducted electronically.
“Preliminary results will beannounced within 24 hours of the census’s completion, detailing the populationof Iraq and its governorates, as well as a breakdown of males and females. Fullcensus data will be released within two months.”
Impact on Development
Economic expert Abdul Rahman Al-Sheikhli pointed out that the datacollected will be very important to the government's five-year developmentplan, which began in 2024 and is set to conclude in 2028. "The plan willonly succeed with accurate data to design a sustainable, comprehensive strategythat takes into account the resources needed to serve Iraq’s economy,"Al-Sheikhli said, adding that “the future plan would rely heavily on theprivate sector, with a reduced role for the public sector to meetadministrative needs.”
“The census forms include 11 detailed sections, to be filledelectronically, providing a clear picture of Iraq’s population and housingconditions. However, displaced persons and refugees will not be included in thecount.” He explained.
Economic expert Karim Al-Hello agreed with Al-Sheikhli on the importanceof the population census.
Speaking to Shafaq News, Al-Hello explained that "the census isremarkable across all economic, political, and cultural aspects, among others,due to the lack of comprehensive statistics in the country. Accurate data onthe population and housing will reveal many critical insights and help identifythe needs of the country accordingly."
Concerns Over Costs
Economic researcher Abdul Salam Hassan Hussein raised concerns about theestimated costs of the census, which are projected to reach billions ofdollars. Hussein likened the potential for corruption in the census process tothe 2022 tax trust embezzlement case involving Noor Zuhair, commonly referredto as the “Theft Of The Century.”
Hussein questioned the necessity of the high expenses, arguing that“millions of Iraqis living abroad make it unlikely that the census will fullysucceed…the government could have conducted the census during elections orthrough public employees and schools, reducing the costs significantly.”
