The bodies of 6,000 people, most of whom died violently, have been received by Baghdad's main mortuary so far this year, health ministry figures show.
The number has risen every month, to 1,400 in May. The majority are believed to be victims of sectarian killings.
But observers say the real death toll could be much higher.They believe the true figures from the violence in and around Baghdad are obscured by the reality that many bodies are not taken to the morgue, or are never found.
The 2006 death toll at the Baghdad mortuary appeared in two local newspapers and was confirmed by the BBC.
These figures are obviously sensitivite as government officials fear more detailed information on these killings could further enflame sectarian tensions
In a grim development nine severed heads were found by police today, they were wrapped in plastic bags and left in a fruit box by the side of a road near Baquba, 60km (35 miles) north-east of Baghdad.
Some of the heads were blindfolded and already decomposing, suggesting that the killings had taken place a few days before, they added.
The heads of eight people were found the same area on Saturday, one of the dead was identified as a local Sunni preacher.
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