ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Kurdistan Region’s Council of Ministers met on Wednesday to direct relevant authorities to present Erbil’s “unified position and list of demands” for the 2027 federal budget, aiming for a share that accurately reflects the Kurdistan Region’s population. 

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has long called on Iraq to increase its share of the federal budget to reflect its population size. 

On Monday, Erbil called on Baghdad to increase the Kurdistan Region’s allocated share of crude oil from the currently allotted 50,000 barrels to 126,700 barrels, in accordance with the Region’s population, which makes up 12.67 percent of Iraq’s total population.

In a statement, the KRG cabinet “instructed the Ministries of Finance and Economy and Planning to coordinate with all ministries and institutions to prepare the Kurdistan Regional Government's unified position and list of demands for the 2027 federal budget.” 

It explained that previous Iraqi federal budget laws “fell short of providing the Region’s budget share,” stressing that Kurdistan’s financial rights have been “restricted,” including the provision of public sector salaries and financial entitlements “on an equal basis with all other areas of Iraq.” 

The cabinet further reaffirmed the Kurdistan Region’s “constitutional right to its share of oil allocated for domestic use based on population.” 

Kurdish authorities have demanded Erbil’s share of the federal budget be calculated according to the results of Iraq's late-2024 census. KRG officials argue that Baghdad should therefore transfer the Region's full budget allocation, rather than limiting payments primarily to public sector salaries.

In June, Erbil and Baghdad held talks on outstanding financial issues, including the mechanism for sharing the Kurdistan Region's non-oil revenues with the federal government.