BAGHDAD (Anadolu/Xinhua) – Iraq announced on Monday that the country’s population has surpassed 46 million, a slight increase from the preliminary figure revealed following the census, which was conducted in November of last year, almost after four decades.
Iraq’s population has increased to 46.118 million, up from the preliminary figure of 45.4 million announced in November 2024, the Iraqi state news agency INA reported, citing the Planning Ministry.
The ministry announced the final census results at a press conference that Iraq has successfully conducted an electronic population census, showing the country’s population reached 46,118,793, up from the preliminary results of 45,407,895 released on Nov. 25, 2024.
The working-age group between 15-64 constituted the highest percentage, reaching 60.44 percent of the total population, followed by the youth group under 15 at 35.9 percent and the elderly over 65 at 3.66 percent, it said.
Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning Muhammed Ali Tamim said that the census allowed the country to diagnose development gaps at the level of the smallest administrative unit, guarantee a fair distribution of resources among provinces, and draw an accurate demographic map.
Ghulam Mohammad Isaczai, Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Iraq, said that the 2024 population census in Iraq is more than numbers, but a foundation for inclusive and sustainable development.
According to the ministry, 70.17% of Iraq’s population lives in cities, while 29.83% live in rural areas. In northern Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), 84.57% of the population live in urban areas, and 15.43% live in rural areas.
The report also showed that the illiteracy rate in Iraq is 15.31%, while in the KRG, it is slightly up 16.23%.
The average marriage age is 22.24 years, with males at 24.06 years and females at 20.7 years, it added.
The November census covered the entire country, including northern Iraq’s Kurdish region, and was the first in 37 years.