Economy

Kurdistan Region population to exceed 6.5 million by end of 2023: Kurdistan Region Statistics Office

Males make up the slight majority of the Kurdistan Region population. 3.3 million of the population are males, while another 3.26 million persons are females, according to the statement.

Kurdistan 24 2023/07/11 17:09

Kurdistan Region people. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

Kurdistan Population Kurdistan Region Statistics Office World Population Day IDPs IOM

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Region Statistics Office on Tuesday announced in a statement that the population of the Kurdistan Region, excluding refugees, will reach 6.6 million people by the end of 2023.

This statement comes as the Kurdistan Region is preparing to observe World Population Day on July 11, an event that is designated by the United Nations every year to highlight population issues in several countries, like the significance of gender rights, maternal well-being, family planning, destitution and civil rights.

Males make up the slight majority of the Kurdistan Region population. 3.3 million of the population are males, while another 3.26 million persons are females, according to the statement.

Furthermore, 78.4 percent of the Kurdistan Region population lives in urban areas, while 21.6 percent lives in rural areas. The population growth rate for 2023 is estimated at two percent, per the statement.

The statement also added that one of the factors affecting the demographic composition of the Kurdistan Region was the presence of internally displaced persons (IDPs).

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Iraq had 1.1 million IDPs in mid-2022.

Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Region accommodates 694,000 of the IDPs in Iraq. This figure makes up 52.6 percent of the total number of the country’s IDPs, according to IOM figures.

Iraq will rank 35th among the countries with the largest population by the end of 2023, with a population of more than 45.5 million and people, per World Population website figures.

Earlier this year, the Middle East Research Institute released a report that expects Iraq’s population to reach 75 million by 2050. The report warned that overpopulation will further exacerbate current problems the country faces, like food shortages, water scarcity, unemployment, climate change, and instability in the energy sector.