Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 17, 2022 (SKNIS): The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis officially launched its 2021 Population and Housing Census during a significant ceremony held at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Conference Room on Thursday, March 17, 2022.
“This activity [the launch] is a very important undertaking for the ministry as we strive to fulfill our objectives of, in part, providing the necessary information for economic growth and improved standard of living in St. Kitts and Nevis,” said Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Mrs. Elreter Simpson-Browne.
Permanent Secretary Simpson-Browne said that the last census was conducted in 2011 and indicated that St. Kitts and Nevis had a population of 47,195. This data, she said, is outdated and … “dangerous in relation to making major meaningful policy, planning and decision-making.”
“For these reasons, the Population and Housing Census is a very important source of information as the statistics gathered is essential for the proper strategic planning in areas such as housing and education, as well as for the sustainable growth and development of our economy,” said Mrs. Simpson-Browne. “This data is also critical to the Ministry of Sustainable Development as it helps to guide us as we pursue donor agencies and it plays a vital part in our decision-making process in the allocation of lands, approval of the Poverty Alleviation Programme and the development of residential, commercial and industrial areas.”
Mrs. Simpson-Browne implored every citizen and resident of St. Kitts and Nevis to give their full support to field enumerators and to actively participate. She said that the Department of Statistics is not “interested in legal status,” adding that their duty is to “ensure that every citizen and resident in St. Kitts and Nevis at a particular time are counted.”
A Population and Housing Census informational booth will be located next to BCA on Central Street in Basseterre on Friday, March 18 from 9 am to 2 pm and will continue every other Friday for the duration of the census. Additionally, the Population and Housing Census 2021 drive will be held at the Total Concept Parking Lot at Bladen’s from 10 am to 2 pm on Friday, March 25. The field activities will commence in April, with an island drive slated for April 02, 2022.
The Census is to gather information about the general population to present a full and reliable picture of the population in the country – its housing conditions and demographic, social and economic characteristics. The information collected includes data on age, gender, country of origin, year of immigration, marital status, housing conditions, marriage, number of children, education, employment, and travel habits. -30-
