EBRIL, Kurdistan Region - The final results of Iraq’s general census will take another three to four months to be complete, according to Gohdar Mizuri, head of the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) Statistics Board population department, told Rudaw on Monday. The figures released so far are preliminary, Mizuri told Rudaw on Monday.
Mizuri said that some of the census indicators were released as percentages rather than exact numbers and that the final results will still take several months of processing. He added that the preliminary findings are consistent with previous statistical surveys conducted by both the Iraqi and Kurdistan Region’s statistics boards.
According to the census, 71.14 percent of the population in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region are homeowners, while 19.41 percent are private tenants, 2.12 percent rent from the government, and 6.33 percent live in free housing. He noted that these indicators alone cannot determine the poverty line accurately. A separate survey will be conducted in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region to assess poverty levels.
Mizuri also noted that “the results of the 2024 census will be compared with the 1957 census to ensure accuracy,” he said, adding that “the data will undergo several scientific review processes before final approval," he said. ”If complications arise, the final results could take up to four months to be released," Mizuri elaborated.
Hawre Tofiq, head of the Iraqi presidency’s office of relations and international organizations, said the situation in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region is better than expected compared to other countries in the region. “The census results are positive and encouraging, especially in areas like poverty, illiteracy, and housing,” he said.
Tofiq also noted that concerns about political interference in the census process have not materialized. “Kurdish and Turkmen officials had feared the census might be used for political purposes or manipulated,” he said. “But so far, it appears to have been handled professionally, with the goal of planning and improving services in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.”
Shiraz Rauf contributed to this article.
