Results of the Rapid Assessment of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics in Iraq, 2012

Despite a long history, the Civil Registration System (CRS) in Iraq had never been the subject of a formal evaluation prior to 2012 when, in compliance with a request by the World Health Organization, this study was conducted. Stakeholders from different national agencies met on December 16–17, 2012, and used the WHO’s Rapid Assessment (RA) tool to identify areas that require improvement and prioritize actions. The results of this assessment show that Iraq’s CRS is not functioning adequately. Notably, completeness of birth and death registration and the practices affecting the quality of cause of death data were rated as “Weak,” and most other aspects of the CRS were rated as functional, but inadequate. For this reason, a comprehensive assessment of Iraq’s CRS is needed.