Iraqi Census: Key Findings

By John Lee.

Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al-Sudani has announced the preliminary results of the 2024 Census, conducted last week.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister's office, Iraq's population has reached 45,407,895, including foreigners and refugees.

The population distribution shows 70.3% residing in urban areas and 29.7% in rural areas.

Sudani highlighted that the results indicate Iraq has entered the stage of "demographic dividend," with the working-age population now constituting 60% of the total population.

The Prime Minister noted that the census had been long overdue, with the last comprehensive census conducted in 1987. The 1997 census excluded the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Key findings:

• Total population of Iraq: 45,407,895, including foreigners and refugees.
  • Urban population: 70.3%.
  • Rural population: 29.7%.
• Number of households: 7,898,588.
• Average household size in Iraq: 5.3 persons.
  • Male population: 22,784,062, representing 50.1%.
  • Female population: 22,623,833, representing 49.8%.
  • Households headed by women: 11.33%.
  • Households headed by men: 88.67%.
• Age group distribution of Iraq's population:
  • Population under working age (below 15 years): 36.1%.
  • Population of working age (15-64 years): 60.2%.
  • Population above working age (65 years and older): 3.7%.
  • Working-age population: 60%.

Comparing the 2024 census results with the 2009 enumeration, where Iraq's population was 31.664 million, the annual population growth rate is 2.3%.

According to the 2024 census enumeration results, the number of housing units in Iraq is 8,037,221, distributed as follows:

• Houses: 92.1%.
• Apartments: 6.6%.
• Other types of housing: 1.3%.

(Source: Media Office of the Prime Minister)