ERBIL, Kurdistan Region-- The ongoing financial crisis in Kurdistan Region may have impacted the overall birth rates in the country since 2014, according to the Kurdish Office of Statistics in Erbil.

Birth rates have fallen for two consecutive years since 2013 after decade-long growing rates earlier.

Nearly 17,000 fewer births were recorded in 2015 compared to the previous year when around 181,000 children were born.

The decline is especially worrying since birth rates grew steadily since 2009 as the Region went through a major financial boom.

"Childbirth rates will most likely fall further in the near future if economic conditions continue to be uncertain," said Khalil Ismail, professor of demography at Jihan university in Erbil.

"Income and stability are significant factors for families when they plan to expand and in dire economic conditions births are usually declining," he added.

The downward trend has also hit marriage rates that have seen a nearly dramatic decrease since 2014. According to Kurdistan Judiciary Council which records the number of marriages and divorces, around 39,000 couples tied the knot in 2015 compared to about 52,000 in 2014, a drop by 25 percent.

The data also shows that nearly 9000 couples divorced in 2014, a 25-percent increase since 2012.

The office of statistics predicts Kurdistan's population to surpass 6 million in 2020 if birthrates return to pre-2013 levels. According to the office, the total population of Kurdistan Region is currently around 5,600,000.

No population census has been conducted in Kurdistan Region since 1987 but the Statistics Offices uses its own scientific methods to measure the population in the country.

Overt unemployment has almost tripled since 2010 from 4,8 percent to 13,5 although the actual unemployment is likely to be considerably higher, according to the Ministry of Social Affairs which is currently carrying out a reform plan in cooperation with the World Bank.