Census data in West Africa is badly out of date: 5 reasons fresh population statistics are crucial

The region has a population of over 350 million, a five-fold increase since 1950 when 73 million people lived there.

Metadata
Provider: 
The ConversationThe Conversation
URL: 
https://theconversation.com/census-data-in-west-africa-is-badly-out-of-date-5-reasons-fresh-population-statistics-are-crucial-205788https://theconversation.com/census-data-in-west-africa-is-badly-out-of-date-5-reasons-fresh-population-statistics-are-crucial-205788
Retrieved on: 
Monday, June 5, 2023
Information
Tags: 
Pressure, Goal, Private sector, Technology, Employment, Food, Welfare, Marital status, Education, Disability, Public, Policy, Sustainable Development Goal 11, Population Council, Telephone numbers in Hungary, African, Research, Risk, Privacy, Drought, ECOWAS, Economic development, Population, Hospital, Climate change, Flood, Sickness, Investment, Nature, Emergency, Occupation, Water, Income, Sustainable Development Goals, Adolescence, Climate, Population density, Census, Health, Sustainable development, Death, Population growth, Disease, Agriculture, Renewable energy, Risk management, Nursing, Maintenance (technical)
Geotags: 
NIGERIA, NIGER, THE GAMBIA, BENIN, SENEGAL, MAURITANIA
Summary
Key Points: 
  • The region has a population of over 350 million, a five-fold increase since 1950 when 73 million people lived there.
  • The region’s urban population rose from 8.3% of the total in 1950 to almost 44% in 2015.
  • Population size, composition and distribution all have implications for what a society needs - including food, water, energy and infrastructure – and how to provide it.
  • Without census data, countries are not able to measure or understand patterns of population growth or urbanisation.
  • As a public health and demography expert at the Population Council, which generates adolescent and demographic modelling data across west Africa, I’ve listed five reasons why the region needs up to date censuses.

Five ways a census helps a country

    • Allocation of resources and political power: With growing populations and economies, fresh census data helps governments allocate resources, target services, plan infrastructure projects, and direct investments.
    • Economic development: The census asks households for information about their income, employment and demographic characteristics such as age or sex.
    • Disaster response and risk reduction: Census data is also used in disaster planning, response and risk reduction efforts.
    • The census can identify burden of disease, patterns of sickness and death and the distribution of risk factors.

Challenging but worth it

    • Accurate and timely census data is critical for west Africa to achieve its potential and mark progress.
    • Conducting a census takes time, money and people, and it can be challenging to collect accurate data in certain settings.
Copyright: 
2023 The Conversation. All Rights Reserved.