BAGHDAD Iraq ’s population has reached nearly 45.5 million, shows preliminary results of the country’s first census since 1987. Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani said yesterday that Iraq’s population has risen to 45,407,895 with 70.3 percent living in urban areas and 29.7 percent in rural areas. "The number of households is 7,898,588, with an average household size of 5.3 individuals," he told a press conference in Baghdad. The census was conducted on Nov. 20 covering the entire country,