KRG begins census registration in preparation for national count

ERBIL — The Kurdistan Regional Government has launched the census registration and property coding process in its governorates as part of Iraq’s 2024 national census preparations. This initial phase, expected to last two months, will gather data on urban and rural populations throughout the Kurdistan Region.

“This is the first phase, starting in Erbil,” said Dildar Hama Salih, head of the Erbil Statistics Office, adding that 3,000 trained personnel are conducting the work in the city. A total of 8,574 trained staff, including teachers and statisticians, are involved in the effort across the region.

The project spans the four Kurdistan governorates—Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Duhok, and Halabja—and includes 42 districts, 154 sub-districts, 2,163 streets, and more than 5,500 villages. Teams will register and code approximately 11.9 million properties and collect preliminary information from an estimated 1.4 million families.

This effort is part of a broader national initiative, with the full census scheduled for Nov. 20, 2024, across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. The KRG’s Ministry of Planning has projected that Iraq’s population could reach 51.5 million by 2030.

Preparations for the census are underway, with Iraq’s Central Statistical Organization having completed mapping and enumeration processes. Iraq’s last census, in 1997, recorded a population of 19 million, while the Kurdistan Region was counted separately at 2.8 million. The current estimate for Iraq’s population is 46 million.

An unresolved issue is whether the census will take place in Kirkuk, a governorate with deep-rooted ethnic tensions. The national census will exclude questions about ethnic identity, a significant factor in disputed areas like Kirkuk. During Saddam Hussein’s Arabization campaign, Kurds and Turkmens were displaced, and Arab settlers moved in. A question on ethnic identity could be critical in future referendums or power-sharing agreements in these regions.

Mohammed Kamal, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s branch in Kirkuk, recently called for the census in Kirkuk to be postponed until Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution, which addresses disputed territories, is fully implemented. The General Board for Kurdistani Areas Outside the Region echoed these concerns on Sept. 18, stating, “We approach this process with concern and skepticism, especially in Kurdish areas outside the KRG’s jurisdiction, where Article 140 remains unimplemented.”

Shakhawan Abdullah, deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament, also raised concerns about the census process in Kirkuk and other disputed areas. He urged transparency in addressing issues related to those displaced from Kirkuk to the Kurdistan Region, as well as those resettled in Kirkuk under the Arabization policy.

Abdullah emphasized the importance of resolving these matters to ensure accurate representation. He noted that the Iraqi Ministry of Planning had promised to establish a data center in the Kurdistan Region, which he considers vital. “Until this issue is fully clarified, the 1957 census data should remain the baseline for Kirkuk,” he added.

Abdullah also indicated that the national census, scheduled for November 2024, could face delays if these concerns are not adequately addressed.