More than three years after the 2022 Population and Housing Census was conducted, there is still no clear indication from the Government or the Bureau of Statistics about its release.
Today, Senior Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh told reporters that he does not know the reason for the extensive delay in the release of the report, which is critical to guiding Government’s policies and programmes.
“This is very high on my agenda for discussion with the Chief Statistician because I too would like to see it. I need to have an engagement with the Chief Statistician to find out where it is because we as a Government would like it to be concluded and issued,” Minister Singh told reporters.
The last time the Bureau of Statistics addressed the issue of the 2022 Population and Housing Census was in October 2024, when it promised that the preliminary report would be released “soon.”
One year later, there has been no release.
The Bureau of Statistics has disputed claims that the publication of the 2022 Census was being delayed as a result of political interference, contending that such claims were “simply erroneous.”
It said then that any delay in the publication of the 2022 Census results was strictly as a result of its “unwavering commitment to professional diligence in the face of considerable challenges encountered during the census round.”
The Bureau of Statistics said across the Caribbean Region, census activities have faced hurdles.
It said countries such as Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, Dominica and St Lucia, at the time, were experiencing protracted census activities extending up to and beyond two years.
The Bureau, at the time, said it was dedicated to ensuring appropriate statistical confidence in the accuracy of the census results and is not politically constrained, as suggested by some.
It said as a semi-autonomous agency, it operates in conformity with the Statistics Act (1965) and is guided by the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics that were adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2014.
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