Iraqi Kurdistan's population reaches 6.37 million, census shows

ERBIL, Iraqi Kurdistan region,— The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq’s north revealed the preliminary results of the region’s population census on Monday, showing that the Kurdistan region accounts for 14.03% of Iraq’s total population.

KRG’s Planning Minister, Dara Rashid, disclosed that the population of the Kurdistan region stands at 6,370,668 people, which includes both locals and foreign nationals.

The announcement came shortly after Iraq’s Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, shared the country’s overall population, which now totals 45,407,895, including refugees and foreign residents.

Minister Rashid clarified that the data covers the four provinces of the Kurdistan region as well as certain areas of disputed territories. He further noted that the urban population in the region constitutes a significant 84%, while rural areas make up 16% of the population.

The census also revealed that the Kurdistan region is home to 1,279,163 families, with an average household size of 4.6 members. The region’s population growth rate is reported at 2.48%.

When it comes to gender distribution, the census shows a near-even split between men and women. There are 3,200,506 males, representing 50.24% of the population, and 3,170,162 females, making up 49.76%.

Women head 11.86% of households in the region, while the remaining 88.14% of households are led by men.

In terms of age demographics, 31.9% of the population in the Kurdistan region is under 15 years old, indicating a youthful population.

Meanwhile, 63.7% are within the working age bracket, and 4.4% are over the age of 65.

Rashid highlighted that the region’s housing sector includes 2,028,937 units, though he did not provide further details.

This census marks Iraq’s first nationwide population count since 1987, with the last census in 1997 excluding the Kurdistan region. A planned census in 2020 was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The next phase of the census will continue over the next two months, after which the final results will be released.

(With files from Rudaw)