Population Growth in Kurdistan Region Might Boost Its Share of Budget

Kurdistan 11:46 AM - 2024-11-27

Kurdistan Region's Budget Share.

Following the general population and housing census conducted in Iraq on 20th and 21st November, it was reported that Iraq's population now stands at 45,407,895, with the Kurdistan Region's population reaching 6,370,688, accounting for 14.3% of Iraq's total population.

 

Karwan Yarwais Calls for Budget Share Increase

Karwan Yarwais, a member of the Iraqi Parliament from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) bloc, told PUKMEDIA that the federal government has failed to allocate the Kurdistan Region's legal share of the national budget since 2005.

He further stated: "We should not expect an immediate increase in the Kurdistan Region’s budget share based on the recent population census, as the 2025 budget has already been approved by the Iraqi parliament, with the Kurdistan Region's share set at 12.67%."

 

Population Growth May Affect Budget Allocation

MP Yarwais noted that an increase in the Kurdistan Region's population could influence the development of the budget, allowing the Kurdistan Region to benefit from an expanded budget. He added, however, that the share of the budget has already been fixed at the current rate for the time being, with future population growth potentially impacting future allocations.

 

Kurdistan Region's Current Budget Share

An analysis by PUKMEDIA revealed that the Kurdistan Region's current share of the budget is 12.67%, amounting to 20 trillion dinars annually. If the new census figure of 14.3% is adopted, the Kurdistan Region's share could increase to over 22 trillion dinars.

The general population census, which took place over three days across Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, commenced on the morning of Wednesday, 20th November, and concluded on the evening of Friday, 22nd November, with enumerators visiting each family to collect and verify data.



PUKMEDIA