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First census in 10 years under way

More than 23,000 data-collectors have set out with huge ledgers (data books) this week to each and every household in the country to count the population, in Yemen's first census in 10 years.

The results will be published in about six months and will be used as the basis for developing social policy and allocating new schools, hospitals and other facilities.

"Everybody must be included in the picture," Dr Anwar Ahmed Farhan, assistant deputy chairman for Automation and Studies at Yemen's Central Statistics Office, told IRIN in the capital Sana'a.

His organisation has been preparing for the task for the last two and a half years, reviewing and updating the master-frame of the 1994 census and developing a nationwide electronic network.

In addition to the basic count, a sample of households will also have to partake in a more detailed survey, providing information on economic status, car-ownership, literacy and other matters.

However, Dr Farhan said that certain information cannot be solicited, such as religion or ethnicity: "These are very, very sensitive issues and it is not acceptable to ask." By avoiding such questions, the census should catch even those members of society that might otherwise be missed or try to avoid it, such as illegal immigrants and Bedouin (nomadic people).

While the government of Yemen is largely funding the census at a cost of more than US $1 million, there have been grants in kind such as equipment, preliminary surveys and training from foreign donors including USAID and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The World Bank and the Social Fund for Development (SFD) have also had input, requesting the inclusion of certain fields for new information. The SFD was formed as an autonomous agency with financial and administrative independence, governed by a board of directors, representing the government, NGOs and the private sector under the chairmanship of the prime minister.

The start of the event was marked by "Census Night" on 16 December with huge firework displays in all the governorates. The importance of the census is also being promoted through a radio and TV campaign.

Since over half the population is illiterate, the information cannot be collected in questionnaires or forms, so the data-collectors are interviewing every household, a very labour intensive process.

The data will be processed using "the latest technology, including the Oracle database, and the best IT workers in Yemen", Dr Farhan explained.

The last census in Yemen was conducted in 1994, shortly before the War of Unification between the former North and South Yemens, since then, there has been much internal migration. The population in 1994 was found to be 15,831,757, but is now thought to be more than 20 million.

Yemen has one of the highest population growth rates in the world - an estimated 3.6 percent per annum. Farhan expects the census to show an even higher population growth than estimated.

Yemen's president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, used the occasion of the inauguration of "Census Night" to stress the urgency of the need to bring the population growth in Yemen under control. He called to task conservatives in society, calling them "extremists who insist on labelling family planning as a taboo", and warned that the growing population is exhausting the country's meagre natural resources, especially water.


This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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