Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani announced on Monday, November 25, 2024, the preliminary results of the General Census of Population and Housing in Iraq, which was conducted earlier this month. The announcement was made during a joint press conference he chaired alongside the Minister of Planning, the President of the Statistics and Geographic Information Systems Authority and the Senior Advisor of the United Nations Population Fund.
Al-Sudani, based on the completion of the General Census database across all governorates, announced that Iraq’s population has reached 45,407,895 individuals, including foreigners and refugees. The geographic distribution of the population shows 70.3% residing in urban areas and 29.7% in rural areas. He noted that the results indicate that Iraq has entered the stage of a “demographic dividend,” with the working-age population comprising 60% of the total.
Al-Sudani extended his gratitude to the tens of thousands of participants in the mobile teams tasked with conducting the census, as well as to the efforts of the administrative, security and technical support units, along with the ministries and governorates. Their contributions made it possible to accomplish this pivotal step in planning for proper development, covering Iraq from north to south and east to west. He also expressed his gratitude to the citizens for their cooperation, commitment and compliance with the curfew, as well as to the Statistics and Geographic Information Systems Authority, the staff of the Ministry of Planning, the Statistics Authority in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the United Nations Population Fund. Al-Sudani commended the significant role played by religious authorities and leaders in encouraging and motivating citizens to provide accurate information.
The Prime Minister explained that the census was a long-delayed step, noting that Iraq had not conducted a comprehensive census since 1987, and the 1997 census did not include the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. He emphasized that carrying out the census reflects a governmental commitment outlined in the government’s program, supported by all national political forces, constitutional authorities, and all sectors of the population. Al-Sudani reiterated the government’s determination to drive the wheel of change, aiming to transform the reality of the current generation and future generations toward tangible, sustainable development.
(Source: BaghdadToday.com)
