Everything We Need to Know About the 2024 Population and Housing Census

A population and housing census is a nationwide statistical survey held once every 10 years, collecting data on people and dwellings. It gives a “photograph” of the entire population and housing stock at a given moment, for example at 00:00 on 8 April 2024, using uniform methods that other sources cannot match.

It is the most difficult and costly data-collection exercise statistical authorities undertake, and it requires public awareness and cooperation. Some people refuse to take part as a protest against state policies, but the census is not the right occasion for that: it highlights the country's problems and helps to solve them. Its guiding principle is universality, yet it produces generalised statistics rather than analysis of individuals. The United Nations called on countries to hold censuses in the 2020 world round, covering 2015-2024.