“Within Poverty Reduction Strategy in Iraq”
The Central Organization for Statistics releases the results of largest National Socio Economic Survey for Iraqi Households

(IHSES-2007)  

      A report issued by the Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology in the Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation reveals that 18% of households spend less than half a million Iraqi dinars per month, while 47% of households spending between half million to less than a million, 27% of households are spending about one million to two million dinars, and 8% spend more than two million dinars per month.

The report which contained the results of the largest national survey carried out in Iraq during the last decades of social and economic realities of the Iraqi households and represents the first phase of the poverty reduction strategy in Iraq demonstrates “that household spends about 36% of their income each month to buy food and non-Alcoholic beverages and 29% for the provision of fuel, housing and lighting and 13% for transport and communications, 7% on clothes and shoes, 6% on furniture and household equipment and 4.5% for  restaurants, hotels, goods and services from their income per month”.

The results of the survey, which was carried out with the participation of Kurdistan region Statistics Organization and by the support of the World Bank during a full year, including all of Iraq's governorates and Kurdistan region governorates demonstrates that Iraqi society is still one of the young communities because nearly of 40% of Iraqi ages are children under five years, and the dependency ratio was 76%, while the gender ratio reached (108.5) on the side of males.

Housing indicators according to the results of the survey indicates that 78.6% own their homes. Al-Muthanna governorate have witnessed the highest rate of house possession when reached 93% while the lowest rate in Baghdad was 62.7%, and a rate of 81%of individuals lives with their families in separate housing units and 11% live with participation of another households, while a quarter of the population suffer from overcrowding, and 76% of the households demonstrated they were depending on  national network of electricity as a primary source in provision electricity, and 18% of households depend on shared generators involved in the provision of electricity and 5% depend on private generators. The survey also shows that 95% of households owns color television and 87% of individuals watching television as an average of (3.4) hours per a day, The average of mobile phones reached (1.56) phones for each household, and the rate increase to (2.6) phones per household in each of Sulaimaniya and Arbil governorates but it drops to 0.4 phone for every household in Al-Anbar, while 25% of Iraqi households own a private car.
 
The results of the survey revealed that 78% of individuals who is over the age of 10 years know how to read and write, while the rate of joining primary schools are 85%, 37% for the intermediate and 21% for the preparatory schools, in addition to that the household spends (158) thousand Iraqi dinars for education which rise up to (968) thousand Iraqi dinars per year for higher studies annually. As in the area of practicing social and political activities, the results showed that 80% of individuals aged 10 years and over never read daily newspapers,  while the use of the internet, shows that 3% of the individuals using the Internet including 39% of them use it at home and 34% in Internet cafes.
 
On the health side, the results of the survey showed that 10% of Iraqis are living with chronic diseases, and two for every hundred people are suffering from the disease of diabetes, while 30% of people who aged between 40-59 years are suffering of high blood pressure. The proportion of disability due to civil conflict, armed landmines and depleted uranium reached (14.3%).
 
In the area of the labor force, the report indicates that the average of economic activity for individuals aged 15 years and over at rate of 43% with a disparity between men 75%and women 13%, while unemployment rates were recorded an increase in the large households reached 16%, as in the governorates of Kurdistan region the unemployment rates decrease by 6% compared with the rest of governorates 13% and Baghdad12%, while third of Iraqis paid workers that is 30% of them are employed at the state sector, therefore a proportion of income gained from salaries and wages formed more than 45%, And about 46% of employees working in jobs covered by the retirement system and social security. The results of workers distribution by economic activities indicates that rate of employed women in the agricultural activity reached 32% is the largest compared with men 12%, in addition to the activity of education the women at rate of 31%, compared to 4% for men, and 49% of women are working in the state sector compared with 27% for men ... The employment of children aged 6-14 years reached 3% and the average weekly working hours for workers amounted 41 hours.
 
While the time-use survey “which was the first of its kind in Iraq and the fourth in the Arab region” results have shown that the overall rate of sleeping time about 9 hours, and women sleep longer than men at a time of 15 minutes, while 73% of women spend (145) minutes in the preparation of food, and 47% of men engaged in work spending more than six hours a day… There are only 7% of the individuals engaged in reading, and women spend more than 9 hours in the house management while the individuals serving more than two and half hours on domestic studying and research.
  
The report confirms that (99.8%) of households have ration cards and the average of what the individual spend against getting the ration card items is (757) dinars per month,  While 38% of households debt of loans or advances, included 81% of which was obtained from relatives in Iraq or abroad,  10% from dealers and 68% from loans for the purpose of covering consumption needs and purchasing of consumer long-lasting goods while 10% for the purpose of coverage emergency situations such as illness or theft .. There are 61% of households received some sorts of aid or assistance, whether from the government at rate of 44% or from friends by 14%.
 

The volume of the sample survey amounted (18144) households were distributed by (972) households for each governorate, except Baghdad was (1620) households, The response rate was 98.6%, where Maysan governorates had the highest response rate reached 99.8%, followed by Al-Muthanna governorate reached 99.7% while Duhouk governorate recorded the lowest response rate reached 92.4% and Al-Anbar at rate of 94.3%. The survey aims to provide data to help plans makers to measure and analysis poverty and meet the requirements and needs of national accounts and provide detailed indicators about consumption expenditure to serve the decision-making related on economic policy, sources of income, human development and use of time by individuals.