Commission of Statistics and GIS COSIT Iraq

History and Founding

The Commission of Statistics and GIS (COSIT), known in Arabic as هيأة الإحصاء ونظم المعلومات الجغرافية, is Iraq's national statistical agency. Its origins date to a small division within the Directorate of General Trade in the Ministry of Finance in the 1930s. The first Statistics Law (No. 42) was issued in 1939, and the organization was subsequently attached to the Ministry of Economy. Over subsequent decades, the agency evolved through various ministerial affiliations. In its current form it falls under the supervision of Iraq's Ministry of Planning, with headquarters in the Hay Al-Elwiya district of Baghdad.

Functions and Data Holdings

COSIT is responsible for collecting, tabulating, and publishing official statistics across a wide range of social, economic, and demographic domains, including population censuses, household budget surveys (conducted since 1946), labor force statistics, national accounts data, trade statistics, health indicators, and education statistics. The agency coordinates with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Labor, and other government bodies to produce regular statistical reports. It also conducts estimates and population projections by administrative unit.

Access and Usage

Statistical datasets, surveys, and publications produced by COSIT are accessible through its official website at cosit.gov.iq. The site is primarily in Arabic with some English-language content. General correspondence can be directed to cositoffice@cosit.gov.iq.