CSO: Next census in 2021

The next population, housing and agricultural census will begin in September 2021.

Sean O’Brien, director of statistics at the Central Statistical Office, said the survey will fall on the tenth anniversary of the last census. He said the census was originally scheduled for this year, but it was pushed to 2021 as the CSO is doing a survey into the conditions faced by women and children, as well as the household budget survey, both of which will begin in April.

O’Brien said the household budget survey is very important, as it is a deliverable of the IMF. He said it is used to establish the basket of goods in relation to which inflation rates are measured.

It will also be used to determine supply use tables, which provide a detailed overview of transactions in goods and services by industries and consumers. The tables are based on the spending habits of households. The survey of households, women and children will be carried out with the assistance of the Eastern Caribbean office of the UNICEF, and is tied to the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.