Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Ministry of Planning revealed today, Tuesday, that the capital, Baghdad, reached more than 8.5 million people in 2020, followed by the Governorates of Nineveh and Basra.

"According to census, Baghdad’s population has reached 8.558.625 million people over the past year, which is a very high number compared to the rest of the governorates because of its small city, relative to its number of people.” Abdul-Zahra Al-​Hindawi, the Spokesperson of Iraqi Ministry of Planning said. 

Al-Hindawi added, “Nineveh ranks in the second place with 3,928,215 people, and Basra's population in third place with 3,063,059 people."

In addition, Dhi Qar’s population reached 2,206,514, and Al-Anbar counts 1,865,818 people. 

Meanwhile, Kurdistan cities’ population in 2020 reached 5,591,723 in which Erbil records the highest count.

Earlier, in an interview with the semi-official Al-Sabah newspaper the ministry’s spokesman said “The biggest challenges that may face Iraq in the next phase are Rapid population growth due to the rising in birth rate , and the socioeconomic barriers“.

“It’s important to utilize the family planning services and awareness programs for educating the community about birth control,” He added.