Shafaq News/ On Thursday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani instructed census teams to complete the general census of population and housing by tomorrow, Friday.

According to a statement from al-Sudani’s media office, the PM urged all citizens to “fully cooperate with the census teams by providing accurate information to ensure the success of this important initiative, which serves as a foundation for all service, economic, and development efforts.”

Notably, the census marks the first such undertaking since 1987, when all provinces participated. A census in 1997 excluded the Kurdistan Region. For decades, Iraq relied on unofficial estimates from research centers, with the Planning Ministry estimating the population at over 42 million in 2022.

Since the census began on Wednesday, November 20, calm has prevailed across Iraq, with strict security measures in place. To ensure smooth execution, the government has declared public holidays and imposed a curfew during the two days.

More than 120,000 field researchers are going door to door, collecting data from households using electronic tablets, in a process supported by the United Nations.