Iraq begins population census preparations in Erbil
Shafaq News/ The Iraqi government has launched the process of numberingand listing households in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, as partof the upcoming nationwide population census.
The operation, overseen by the Federal Ministry of Planning's GeneralStatistics Authority, began on Tuesday.
Delzar Hama Saleh, the head of the Statistics Office in Erbil, toldreporters, that a team of 2,790 workers is conducting the enumeration across10,114 districts in the city.
The listing and numbering process, which began in early September, willcontinue for two months. This phase is a critical preparation for the generalcensus of population and housing, scheduled for November 20, 2024.
According to the Ministry of Planning, the current stage involvesnumbering buildings, residences, and establishments while collectingpreliminary information about household sizes and the gender distribution offamily members. These details will form the foundation for the final populationcount later this year.
Iraq last conducted a nationwide population census in 1987, followed bya 1997 count that excluded the Kurdistan Region. For years, the country hasrelied on estimates from unofficial research institutes and organizations. In2022, the Planning Ministry estimated Iraq’s population to be over 42 million.
