Somalia to conduct national head count in October 2024

GOOBJOOG NEWS|MOGADISHU: Somalia will conduct the first national census next year in about 50 years following relative stability and recovery of vast territories from the terrorist group Sl-Shabaab.

The National Bureau of Statistics launched the preparatory process of the National Housing and Census on Tuesday will culminate in the national head count in October 2024.

Somalia last conducted a publicly declared national census in 1975 which put the population at 4.2 million. A second census in 1984 was however not released. A Population Estimate Survey by the Ministry of Planning and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) put Somalia’s population at 14 million.

According to Dr. Abdi Ali Ige, head of the Somali Population and Housing Census, the exercise will be conducted by 30,000 enumerators in urban and rural areas. The agency will also deploy Grid 3 satellite imaging technology to map out populations in remote areas and those hard-to-reach areas under Al-Shabaab control.

Deputy Prime Minister who officiated the launch of the exercise yesterday said the census exercise was critical for planning and effective governance.

“Generation of data and utilization of data is at the heart of governance,” said Salah Jama. “It is paramount for good government. It is paramount for development gains.”