Experts sound alarm on economic challenges amid overpopulation

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Concerns mount as experts warn of Iraq's surging population growth, with over a million children born annually.

The absence of effective policies and robust economic infrastructure poses significant challenges, including rising unemployment rates.

The exponential increase in Iraq's population, coupled with its heavy reliance on oil revenue, exacerbates the risk of economic instability.

Ahmed Sarraji, a political analyst, underscored the urgency of implementing birth control legislation, cautioning that the population explosion could have repercussions more severe than those of a nuclear detonation.

Sarraji emphasized the necessity of proactive measures to regulate population growth and ensure the prosperity of future generations.

Journalist Abbas Ahmad echoed these concerns, stressing the critical need for long-term development plans to bolster both the private and public sectors and accommodate the burgeoning population.

Without such strategies in place, Iraq faces the looming specter of widespread unemployment, exacerbating socioeconomic challenges.

In response to the escalating demographic crisis, the Iraqi Ministry of Planning has embarked on the formulation of a comprehensive national population policy document.

Abdul-Zahra al-Hindwi, spokesperson for the Iraq’s Ministry of Planning, highlighted the imperative of containing population growth while prioritizing the provision of essential services to sustain livelihoods.

With the current trajectory, Iraq's population is projected to approach sixty million within the next decade, further straining the country's economic landscape.

Experts advocate for the enactment of measures to curtail birth rates indirectly, recognizing the urgency of mitigating the socioeconomic repercussions of unchecked population growth.