Iraq's first census in nearly 40 years: Here are the key highlights

Iraq's first official census in almost four decades reveals the country's population has reached 46.1 million, according to final results released on Monday. This marks a significant rise from an unofficial estimate of 31.6 million in 2009.

Iraqi officials hailed the census as a major milestone, pointing out its importance for future planning and resource distribution. "This census demonstrates the government’s determination to improve conditions in the country," said Iraqi Planning Minister Mohammed Tamim at a news conference announcing the results.

• The census offers detailed insights into economic, educational, and housing conditions across Iraq, including separate data for the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in the north.

• It shows that 70.2% of the population in federal Iraq resides in urban areas, compared to 84.6% in Kurdish urban centers. The Kurdish region also reported higher employment rates, with 46% of its population economically active, versus 41.6% in federal Iraq.

• Primary school enrollment stood at 93% in Kurdish areas, compared to 88% in the rest of Iraq.

• However, federal Iraq showed higher rates of home ownership and better access to potable water and state electricity.

Minister Tamim highlighted that the census would enable a fairer distribution of resources across provinces, saying, "For the first time in four decades, Iraq has successfully conducted a full census, helping ensure more equitable resource allocation."

The final population count of 46.1 million is over 1 million higher than the preliminary estimate of 45.407 million released in November.