Kirkuk Governorate or Kirkuk Province is a governorate in northern Iraq. The governorate has an area of . In 2024, the population was 2,034,627 people.Central Organization for Statistics and Information Technology, Iraq The provincial capital is the city of Kirkuk. It is divided into four districts.
The province was named Kirkuk Governorate until 1976, when it was named At-Ta'mim Governorate, meaning "nationalization", referring to the national ownership of the regional oil and natural gas reserves. While Article 140 of the 2005 Constitution mandated the restoration of the name "Kirkuk Governorate" by 2007, the administrative transition was delayed by political disputes. The name was not fully reinstated across all federal records and identity documents until 2017.
Governorate government
Governor: Mohammed Samaan Agha (Iraqi Turkmen Front)
Districts District Total population, 2024 Kirkuk1,549,454 Dibis78,101 Daquq85,773 Hawija321,299
Demographics Kirkuk Governorate borders were altered in 1976; when 4 districts were added to the Sulaymaniya, Diyala and Saladin Governorates. The Kirkuk Governorate received the Arab populated Zab District from the Mosul Governorate.
With the Arabization policies of the Ba'ath party, the number of Arabs in official censuses increased fivefold within 40 years, however the most reliable data indicative of the ethnic breakdown of the governorate are those of the 1957 census. The number of Kurds remained relatively constant from 1957 until 1977, decrease in their numbers coincides with the Arabization process in the 1990s. The Turkmens were seriously affected by the Ba'ath changing Kirkuk borders their percentage fell from 21% to 7%.
Starting from 1977, 2,000 Christians (Assyrians) were registered as Arabs. From the end of the Gulf War to 1999, about 11,000 Kurdish families were deported from Kirkuk. Since the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, 100,000 Kurds have returned to the city of Kirkuk.
Statistics Ethnic data from a League of Nations report from 1925 and British data from 1924, 1930 and 1931 (the province had different borders during these years): Ethnic data for Kirkuk Governorate (liwa) Ethnicity 1924% 1925 %1930 %1931 % Kurdish 79,646 47,500 67,703 77,608 Turkmen/Turk 28,395 26,100 28,741 28,741 Arab 35,649 35,650 26,561 26,561 Jewish 1,703 - 6,742 2,472 Christian 1,000 2,400 1,228 1,228 Other - - 192 Total 146,393 111,650 136,705 136,802
Census results for Kirkuk Governorate Mother tongue 1947 (Ethnicity) Percentage 1957 Percentage 1977 Percentage 1997 Percentage Arabic 109,620 28% 218,755 45% 544,596 72% Kurdish 151,575 53%187,593 48% 184,875 38% 155,861 21% Turkish 83,371 21% 80,347 17% 50,099 7% Syriac 1,605 0.4% N/A N/A N/A N/A Hebrew 4,042 123 0.003% N/A N/A N/A N/A Other 6,545 1.77% N/A N/A N/A N/A Total 285,900 388,829 483,977 752,745
A report by the International Crisis Group points out that figures from 1977 and 1997 censuses "are all considered highly problematic, due to suspicions of regime manipulation" because Iraqi citizens were only allowed to indicate belonging to either the Arab or Kurdish ethnic groups; consequently, this skewed the number of other ethnic minorities, such as Iraq's third largest ethnic group – the Turkmen.
2018 election results The following is the results of the 2018 Iraqi parliamentary election in the Kirkuk governorate. Election results are often used to estimate the demographics of the region. However, Iraqi citizens do not necessary vote for parties based on its ethnic affiliation.
PartyTotal votePercentageSeatsPatriotic Union of Kurdistan 183,283 6Arab Alliance of Kirkuk 84,102 3Turkman Front of Kirkuk 79,694 3Victory Coalition 24,328 0Conquest Alliance 18,427 0National Coalition 14,979 0Nishtiman coalitionMovement for ChangeCoalition for Democracy and JusticeKurdistan Islamic Group 14,118 0New Generation Movement 13,096 0Chaldean CoalitionReserved Christian Seat 4,864 1Kurdistan Islamic Group 4,631 0Chaldean Syriac Assyrian Popular Council 3,810 0Others 39,286 0Total484,618100%12(+1)
Archeological sites Archeological sites in the governorate include Arrapḫa, Nuzi and Lubdu, which all date back several thousand years. Arrapha is located within the modern city of Kirkuk, Nuzi is identified with the site of Yorghan Tepe and the location of Lubdu isn't certain, but considered to be at Tall Buldagh.
See also 2009 Kirkuk governorate election Arabization Kurdification Article 140 of the Constitution of Iraq
Notes
References
External links Iraq Inter-Agency Information & Analysis Unit Reports, Maps and Assessments of Iraq's Governorates from the UN Inter-Agency Information & Analysis Unit