Kurdistan Region prepares for general census, zonal enclosure phase to commence soon

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The head of the Kurdistan Region Statistics Office, Sirwan Mohammad, announced that preparations for the upcoming general population census are underway, with the zonal enclosure and coding phase set to begin in less than two weeks.

Mohammad explained that the process in the Kurdistan Region is starting later than in other Iraqi provinces due to delays in budget allocation from the Federal Government.

However, the second round of training for supervisors and managers of the census process has already begun, ensuring preparedness for the upcoming phase.

The zonal enclosure phase involves pre-enumeration procedures, including collecting information about families, workers, and institutions, as well as counting residential and commercial buildings, villages, and various administrative units.

Over 8,000 personnel have been trained to carry out this crucial phase, which is expected to take about two months.

The information gathered during this phase will be vital in determining population density and will play a critical role in the general census scheduled for October 20 in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

The general census has been allocated a budget of 300 billion dinars, with the Kurdistan Region's share amounting to 38 billion dinars.

It is worth noting that Iraq's first census in 1927 was cancelled, and the last one in 1997 did not include the Kurdistan Region.

A pilot census was recently conducted in May, spanning 14 days across all Iraqi provinces, including the Kurdistan Region.

The upcoming census is expected to resolve long-standing disputes over governance in the Kurdish territories outside Kurdistan Region control, but researchers anticipate that some political parties might challenge the results.

Despite these potential challenges, the Kurdistan Region Statistics Office is committed to ensuring a smooth and accurate census process.