Iraq estimates population growth to 40 mln in 2017

The Iraqi government estimated Wednesday the country’s population growth to have reached 40 million until 2017, including Kurdistan Region areas.

Planning ministry spokesman, Abdul-Zahra al-Hindawi, told Almaalomah website that “political interventions have stalled efforts to carry out the census, especially at disputed areas”, but said that the ministry, however, remains prepared to conduct the process.

He said security instability is another factor behind delay in carrying out the population count.

Iraq has become close to concluding a three-year-old campaign to expel Islamic State militants that has, so far, displaced more than five million people, according to United Nations counts.

In January, the planning ministry put poverty rates among Iraqis at 30% during 2016