Somalia has been facing a long absence of a population and housing Census. To date, two Censuses have been carried out in Somalia. A Census was conducted in 1974 second and last population Census was conducted in 1986 but its results were never released.

The undertaking of a Census in Somalia is central to the successful implementation of the ‘one person, one vote’ electoral system that is expected to restore democratic election of leaders which is central to the state building and political stability of the country such as the allocation of government resources and determine funding levels for critical programs such as healthcare, education, and social welfare. it will also play a crucial role in the ongoing efforts by the Federal Government of Somalia to finalise the constitution and democratise.

The Population and Housing Census will be a comprehensive exercise conducted by a team of trained professionals who will collect data throughout the country, and carry out in-person visits. This aims to collect vital information about the country’s population, including demographic data, social and economic characteristics, and housing conditions. It would also bring to light information on small geographic units (localities, neighbourhoods) and provide the most reliable picture of the country’s population including age and sex distribution and its characteristics.

Furthermore, the information from a population Census can play a major role at its most basic level, to simply determine how many people there in the country where they live, the allocation of elected political seats at both state and federal government levels, as well as allocation of scarce humanitarian and development resources.

The number of elected officials for the state and federal governmental administrative units can be determined by the size of population at that level. The size of the population is critical for determining, in part, the resources that could be provided by the Government and development partners for humanitarian and development efforts.

As such, the Somali government encourages all Somalis to actively participate in the census as it is essential for accurate data collection, and to ensure that their voices are heard in the planning and implementation of government policies and programs. All information collected during the census will be kept confidential and used only for statistical purposes. The government assures residents that their privacy will be protected, and no personal information will be shared with any individual or organization.

The launch will be formally launched by the Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia, His Excellency Hamza Abdi Barre and attended by senior government dignitaries as well as the longstanding partners and supporters of the Somali Government.