After two-Decades delay, Iraq to launch its first tech-driven census in its history
Shafaq News/ Iraq is set to conduct its first national census in over two decades on November 20, 2024. This long-awaited population count will utilize technology for data collection for the first time.
The previous census, held in 1997, revealed a population of 22.33 million. The Ministry of Planning estimated the 2022 population to be around 42 million, with a 2.5% annual growth rate.
Experts emphasize the crucial role of the census in providing accurate demographic data, which is vital for economic planning and formulating effective government policies across various sectors.
However, some concerns linger regarding the potential impact of political maneuvering on the census's accuracy. Skeptics worry that attempts by certain parties to obfuscate social realities might render the data unreliable, which raises serious questions about whether the collected information could remain unutilized, hindering the development of essential service and production projects for the country.
Preparations
"Some preparations have been completed, while others will be completed according to the timelines of the plan during the remaining period until the census date," stated Abdul Zahra Al-Hindawi, the ministry's spokesperson.
Al-Hindawi told Shafaq News Agency that "technical and logistic requirements have almost been completed." This includes signing a contract with an "international company" company to manufacture the tablets to be used in the count. "The manufacturing company has begun production, and the first batch of these devices was received in early May. These devices will be used to conduct the pilot census that will be implemented before the end of this month."
"Other companies continue to work on establishing databases and communication centers, as well as applications and software," he added. "Satellite images and maps have been completed for the administrative units at the governorate, district, sub-district, and village levels. The data from the system will be linked to larger geographic databases to guide enumerators."
Training for enumerators will commence during the upcoming summer break, Al-Hindawi explained. "Enumerators, who are staff from the Ministry of Education, will participate in intensive training courses to learn how to fill out the form, use tablets, and other details."
"Packing, numbering, and listing operations will also take place for two months (August and September 2024)," he continued. "This process includes numbering all houses, buildings, and facilities throughout Iraq. Upon completion of these phases and operations, preparations will be complete for the implementation of the general census of population and housing on its scheduled date of November 20, 2024."
Does Iraq need a census?
A population census is an essential tool for gathering accurate demographic data, which is crucial for informed economic planning and effective government policies across various sectors, according to economist Ali Abdul Kazim.
"The census provides the primary source of population facts needed for present and future planning," Abdul Kazim said in a statement to Shafaq News Agency. "It is also necessary for scientific analyses, population change distribution, and government policies in various fields."
"The population census holds immense significance in revealing military, tax, and work obligations of individuals within a society. It helps in understanding migration patterns, fertility rates, economic characteristics, and economic security determinants that accompany economic development."
"Moreover, it provides data on the crucial characteristics of the population required by governments, agencies, and research institutions for planning, policymaking, implementation, or addressing urgent daily problems. Hence, a population census is an urgent necessity for Iraq, especially since the country entered the demographic window in 2022, with the youth demographic leading the labor market," Abdul Kazim added.
For his part, economist Omar Al-Halbousi emphasized the importance of the population count in "achieving significant economic outcomes for society, particularly the fair distribution of wealth and services."
"It also enables the formulation of necessary plans to achieve economic revival, activate productive and service sectors, and create job opportunities that cater to the youth," Al-Halbousi elaborated to Shafaq News Agency.
Among the other benefits, Al-Halbousi said the count will allow "gathering data about society and the geographical distribution of citizens."
"This equips all ministries with the requirements to prepare ministerial plans for providing better services to citizens and meeting their needs. It facilitates the state's distribution of projects in a planned manner, free from financial waste and corruption," he explained.
Doubts Despite Benefits
While the upcoming population census holds the promise of providing valuable insights for economic planning and policymaking, concerns remain regarding its potential effectiveness in the face of prevailing corruption and political maneuvering.
Economist Omar Al-Halbousi, while acknowledging the potential benefits of the census, expressed skepticism about its success and economic viability.
"In light of the rampant financial and administrative corruption in the country, I doubt the success of the population census and its economic value," said Al-Halbousi. "This is due to the struggle between parties to obscure many social facts. This will render the population census economically futile as it will be subject to partisan wrangling. Consequently, the data will remain just numbers kept in drawers and will not demonstrate results on which economic, service, and productive projects for the country can be based."
Political analyst Basil Al-Kadhimi echoed these concerns, highlighting the potential for political exploitation of the census data.
"In all systems around the world, the population census is conducted so that the state is aware of the population ratios in order to provide services based on the population of each governorate," Al-Kadhimi explained to Shafaq News Agency. "However, in Iraq, it is a different story."
"The population census in Iraq will not offer anything to the citizen," Al-Kadhimi said. "There are no consequent results from this census, so it is not for the service of the citizen but has a political aspect so that conflicts and bidding wars continue, and each political force claims that its governorate has the largest population count to have the largest share of the spoils."
Involvement Of Politics?
"The census is far removed from any political wrangling, including partisanship, sectarianism, ethnicity, or religion," assured Mohammed Al-Baldawi, Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Strategic Planning. "The law does not mention party affiliation, ethnicity, sect, or nationality. There is no paragraph in this regard."
"The census that will be conducted in Iraq differs from previous censuses in that it relies on counting the development structure, whether it be housing or population, as well as industrial and commercial establishments, agricultural land, infrastructure, and their availability, and the individuals who exist," he explained.
"This census will identify the configuration of the state of individuals and families, including the numbers of young people, children, adults, women, and men," Al-Baldawi added. "It also examines the nature of the diseases that society suffers from, the social environment and its nature, and the employment and material status of individuals. This has given it great importance as the state of individuals can be assessed on its basis."
"120,000 tablets will be imported, containing the application for the general population and housing census form," he stated. "These devices will be tested on the 26th of this month in al-Salihiyah area, taking a training model on listing and data collection, how to fill out the form, and testing the application on the tablet. After that, a pilot census will be conducted in all Iraqi cities to monitor unemployment until the end of this year, when the census will be conducted in full."
