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Population census postponed to August 2022

Population census postponed to August 2022

The Namibia Statistics Agency this week confirmed that the Population and Housing Census, originally scheduled to begin in August 2021 has been postponed and now planned for August 2022.

Statistician General Alex Shimuafeni said this postponement is mainly due to competing priorities such as the current COVID-19 budget prioritisation.

“The Census is now planned for August 2022 and we would like to, first and foremost, thank the entire nation for assisting and cooperating with our enumerators that visited your homes and businesses during the Census Mapping. We partly owe the success of the Census Mapping project to your cooperation and assistance,” Shimuafeni said.

Shimuafeni said the implementation of the ‘Pilot Census’, which is the next phase of the Census is the planned to take place later this year. The Census Pilot serves as a test run for the actual Population and Housing Census and assists in readiness and smooth implementation, he added.

“Given the uncertainty of the pandemic situation currently in the country Agency will be monitoring the COVID-19 situation as it unfolds and keep the nation updated and informed on the Census Pilot and actual Population Census enumeration phase,” Shimuafeni added.

The Population and Housing Census is conducted every ten years and includes various stages. For the past few years the Agency was busy with the planning of the various Census phases, which include Census Mapping (which entails the verification of all physical built up infrastructures countrywide which allows Agency to create and update various databases such as a housing register, information about locations of schools, clinics and households, as well as having a full framework to work with when the Census commences.

According to Shimuafeni, they completed the household components of the Census Mapping whilst busy finalising the mapping of establishments and businesses. About 517 unemployed people where recruited to visit and verify 955,037 built-up structures countrywide during the Census Mapping project.

Namibia’s population is estimated to be at 2.5 million in 2021, having grown from 1.8 million in 2001 to 2.1 million at the last Census in 2011.


 

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Donald Matthys

Donald Matthys has been part of the media fraternity since 2015. He has been working at the Namibia Economist for the past three years mainly covering business, tourism and agriculture. Donald occasionally refers to himself as a theatre maker and has staged two theatre plays so far. Follow him on twitter at @zuleitmatthys