Development in the Region, or anywhere else, is not merely an accumulation of concrete projects or numbers recorded in official reports. At its core, it is a test of the state’s capacity to sustain operations amidst intertwined political and economic crises, and to channel pressures into pathways of productivity rather than contraction.
Since 2019, the Kurdistan Region has faced one of the most complex periods in its modern history: a severe financial crisis, halts in oil exports, a global pandemic, and ongoing tensions with the federal government in Baghdad over financial and administrative files. Despite this unstable context, the Ninth Cabinet continued to push infrastructure and public service projects forward at varying paces until 2026, according to official data issued by the Department of Media and Information of the Kurdistan Regional Government.
In the roads and bridges sector, data indicates the execution of 810 projects during this period, at a cost exceeding 1.057 trillion Iraqi dinars, which included the construction and rehabilitation of approximately 3,055 kilometers of roads. Alongside this, 227 strategic projects remain under implementation, spanning an additional length of nearly 2,239 kilometers and at an estimated cost of around 4.179 trillion dinars. This expansion reflects a gradual transformation in the spatial structure of the Region, as intercity connectivity networks have become denser compared to what they were before 2019.
However, infrastructure was not limited to roads. Municipal and service projects included more than 2,300 municipal projects, and around 2,956 water and sewage projects, in addition to more than 2,100 projects inside cities. This indicates an attempt to address long-standing urban and service accumulations, even if the results vary from one region to another.
In the energy sector, electricity production capacity rose to approximately 4,200 megawatts after adding 1,840 new megawatts, in parallel with more than 3,500 distribution projects and 61 power transmission projects. Nevertheless, the most prominent shift remains in the “Ronaki” project, which aims to restructure the electricity sector toward a more stable system and reduce reliance on private generators—one of the most sensitive files in the daily relationship between the citizen and the state.
As for the water file, it reflects, in turn, mounting environmental pressure. Nine dams were constructed with a total capacity of 252.8 million cubic meters, alongside 23 completed water ponds and 58 others under implementation. Furthermore, the Erbil Water Project, with a capacity reaching 480,000 cubic meters per day, stands as one of the major strategic projects aimed at securing the water needs of major cities in the face of escalating climate challenges.
In the education sector, data points to the construction of 214 new schools, the rehabilitation of more than 2,114 schools, and the addition of 629 classrooms, alongside returning more than 33,000 children to the educational system. While these figures reflect a clear quantitative expansion, the core challenge remains tied to the quality of education and the balanced distribution of services between cities and peripheral areas.
In the health sector, the Region now comprises 67 hospitals, 31 specialized centers, and 8 cancer treatment centers, with more than 56 million medical and diagnostic tests recorded over the past years, reflecting a gradual expansion in the health infrastructure against growing population pressure and shifting needs.
Economically, the Region managed to attract approximately 24 billion dollars in investments through 596 investment projects across multiple sectors. This activity contributed to creating around 140,000 job opportunities, alongside 18,000 industrial jobs, and registering more than 116,000 workers in the social security system. Nonetheless, the open question remains regarding the sustainability of this growth given the heavy reliance on an unstable political and economic environment.
In agriculture, the investment rate rose from 1.8% to 10%, with the establishment of 30,000 greenhouses and 319 refrigerated warehouses, and the expansion of the number of agricultural companies to more than 11,000, in an effort to narrow the gap between local consumption and domestic production.
Despite this expansion across various projects and sectors, the overall picture remains complex. Development here is not a straight line, but rather a winding path where achievement intersects with structural challenges, politics with economics, and need with potential.
What ultimately emerges is that Kurdistan, during the 2019–2026 period, did not stop working, but it has also not yet reached a fully stable development model. It is an experience still taking shape, where outcomes are measured as much by the capacity to endure under pressure as they are by results.
In this context, official figures remain important, but they are not the whole story. Behind every number lies a larger question: not only what has been achieved, but how this achievement can be transformed into a sustainable system that relies less on circumstances and more on institutions.
Note: This text is translated from the original Arabic version… Read the Arabic version:Click here
