DAR ES SALAAM, Aug 5 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Government of the United Republic of Tanzania is set to conduct a Population and Housing Census on Aug 23. This year’s exercise will be the Sixth Census to be held in the country.
The Ministry of Finance and Planning through the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in collaboration with the Office of the Chief Statistician of Zanzibar (OCGS), is in the process of preparing to conduct the Census.
The last was conducted in 2012, the exercise is conducted every 10 years.
Tanzania has since independence conducted five Population and Housing Censuses in 1967, 1977, 1988 and 2002 and 2012.
Population censuses collect data on the size, distribution and composition of population and information on a broad range of social and economic characteristics of the population.
It also provides sampling frames for household and other surveys. It is recommended that population censuses be conducted at least every 10 years.
According to the 2012 census, the total population was 44,928,923 compared to 12,313,469 in 1967, resulting in an annual growth rate of 2.9 percent.
The under 15 age group represented 44.1 percent of the population, with 35.5 percent being in the 15–35 age group, 52.2 percent being in the 15–64 age group, and 3.8 percent being older than 64.
According to the 2012 revision of the World Population Prospects, children below the age of 15 constituted 44.8 percent of the total population, with 52.0 percent aged 15–64 and 3.1 percent aged 65 or older. — NNN-AGENCIES
