‘Significant population growth’ – Dr. Singh discloses ahead of prelim. Census report

Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh confirmed that Guyana experienced significant population growth, as discovered in the 2022 Census conducted by the Bureau of Statistics.

Speaking about the progress of the census on Tuesday, Dr. Singh assured the public that preliminary results will be available before the end of the year.

“The population has grown, that is the report that I have received so we have seen significant population growth which I don’t think will come as a surprise to anybody,” Dr. Singh told reporters at the sidelines of an event at the Pegasus Suites, Kingston, Georgetown.

He emphasised the government’s commitment to ensuring the timely release of these findings.

“The preliminary results of the census will be available before the end of the year, we remain as a government firmly committed to that objective. I, myself, and I know that I speak for the rest of the cabinet are of the view that this exercise really should have been completed already we have had and I have communicated this to the chief statistician that we would like to see this completed,” the Finance Minister said.

He added, “I know that they [Bureau of Statistics] are very advanced in their work and I am expecting that they will ensure that that commitment is met.”

Dr. Singh also highlighted that the Bureau of Statistics conducted the enumeration exercise facing several challenges.

“….they did have a number of homes where they got no responses, they had to do multiple visits, their work was interrupted on a number of occasions by bad weather, inaccessibility etc, there are a variety of reasons.”

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Statistics in a statement last month disputed claims that the delay in publication of the 2022 census was due to political interference.

“The legal framework and official principles promote and ensure the independence of the Bureau. Our work is guided by scientific principles and sound statistical practices that adhere to the highest international standards and conventions,” the statement noted.

It was further noted that “any delay” in the publication of the census results is due to “considerable challenges encountered during this census round.”

The statement also referenced delays in censuses across the Caribbean region in countries like Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, Dominica and St. Lucia.

“This was due to several factors, including respondent suspicion, apathy and fatigue in a post- COVID environment,” the statement noted.