What population did Iraq's 2024 national census report?

Iraq’s 2024 national census reported a population of 46,118,793. This was the final nationwide count from Iraq’s General Population and Housing Census, conducted on 20 and 21 November 2024.

The census was historically significant because Iraq had not completed a full nationwide count since 1997. Earlier population figures were often estimates, and the 1997 census did not fully include the Kurdistan Region. The new count was intended to provide a stronger basis for planning services, distributing resources and understanding housing and employment conditions.

The final result was higher than the preliminary figure of roughly 45.4 million announced shortly after the enumeration. The census counted Iraqis and foreign residents together in the national total. It did not include an ethnicity question, reflecting the political sensitivity of demographic classification in Iraq.

Iraq’s population is concentrated heavily in urban areas, especially around Baghdad and the river valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates. The country’s youthful age structure is another major feature: children make up a large share of the population, while the working-age population is expanding rapidly.