UNFPA Census Strategy for the 2020 Census Round

Rachel Snow, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
Sabrina Juran, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
Tapiwa Jhamba, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

Conditions of war, civil unrest, or inaccessibility compromise the coverage of a population and housing census. Innovative modeling approaches to generate population estimates are gaining increasing attention for use in such conditions. Modelling techniques that integrate satellite imagery, remote sensing, microcensus and survey data offer promise for closing coverage gaps, by enabling governments to estimate basic population parameters from partial data. These developments are important for estimating population numbers, but do not replace the comprehensive data on population characteristics that are generated by a traditional census. UNFPA’s Strategy for the 2020 Census Round has been developed from a critical analysis of lessons learned during the 2010 round and in response to new global development frameworks. The strategy focuses on strengthening national capacities to generate, analyze, disseminate and utilize high quality, timely, relevant, and disaggregated geo-referenced census data to inform, implement, monitor, and evaluate sustainable development policies, plans and programmes for the public good.