"The survey for the UN Development Programme, entitled Iraq Living Conditions Survey 2004, questioned more than 21,600 households this time last year. Its findings, released by the Ministry of Planning yesterday, could finally resolve the debate over how many Iraqis were killed in the war that overthrew the regime of Saddam Hussein in April 2003.

The 370-page report said that it was 95 per cent confident that the toll during the war and the first year of occupation was 24,000, but could have been between 18,000 and 29,000. About 12 per cent of those were under 18.

The figure is far lower than the 98,000 deaths estimated in The Lancet last October, which said that it had interviewed nearly 1,000 households. But it is far higher than other figures. "
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-1610143,00.html

{linked from Tim Worstall : http://timworstall.typepad.com/timworstall/2005/05/civilian_deaths.html
which was linked by instapundit}

I've read most of this survey, it's quite interesting and provides a window into understanding Iraq. The number of Iraqis killed by the miltary confrontation with coalition forces and fighting involving terrorists/insurgents AND the civilians caught in the crossfire or in case the terrorists the civilians and Iraqi security forces directly targeted by them. And other Iraqi death resulting from some direct influence of the war. Is quite different that the one offering by a far inferior Lancet survey which was most unlikely rushed for the sake of altering the US elections.
With this new survey results there is no rational reason to continue offer the Lancet number of 100,000 Iraqis dying. This number of 100,000 was easily seen as distorted when they published but this new UN survey clearly proves how wrong it was. But this survey conducted by Iraq [COSIT and Iraq's Ministry of Planning and Development Cooperation] with UN and the Swedish organization [Fafo-AIS] providing funding and added expertise and training is much more than some attempt to count the dead, rather it shows a comprehensive picture of Iraq which is critical to understand and successful implement programs which can improve Iraq. This report is good example of how the UN can work towards a better world.
Here are the surveys:
http://www.iq.undp.org/ILCS/overview.htm

[I've finishing reading the first part and I'm currently in middle of second of three parts]
-gb