Iraq Holds Its First Census In Nearly 40 Years

Cars drive past Baghdad's Seventeen Ramadan Mosque on November 19 ahead of Iraq's first census in nearly 40 years (Credit: AFP)

Iraq is holding its first nationwide census in nearly four decades this week, a long-awaited count in a nation that has been blighted by sectarian and ethnic divisions.

The census is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, and will provide sorely needed up-to-date demographic data for the country which has an estimated population of around 44 million.