Statistics Sierra Leone (Stats SL) has officially released a revised timeline for the country’s National Population and Housing Census, now scheduled to conclude in 2027 following the recent postponement of the originally planned 2025 exercise.
The updated summary timeline, presented under the theme “Becoming a WINNER”, outlines a detailed roadmap covering all phases of the census process, beginning in mid-2024 and extending through to the end of 2027. The rescheduling comes amid concerns over technical preparedness and institutional capacity, which led to the deferment of the decennial exercise.
According to the chart, census preparatory activities commenced in July 2024 and are expected to run for 15 months, ending in September 2025. Simultaneously, cartographic mapping—a critical component for accurate enumeration—will be carried out over 15 months from May 2025 to July 2026.
A pilot census is scheduled for August 2025 to March 2026, with the main enumeration phase—the core data collection—planned for February to December 2026. This crucial stage will be followed by data evaluation in early 2027 and data processing from April to November 2027.
The final stage, data analysis, reporting, and dissemination, will run for 18 months, from February 2026 through July 2027, ensuring that the results are carefully verified, analyzed, and made accessible to stakeholders for planning and policy-making.
The timeline offers clarity on the new path forward, following backlash from opposition parties and civil society over the delay. Critics, particularly the main opposition APC, have accused the government of using technical shortcomings as a cover for political manipulation—an allegation government and Statistics Sierra Leone have denied.
Stats SL has reiterated its commitment to delivering a credible, inclusive, and constitutionally compliant census that will inform national development, equitable resource distribution, and future electoral processes.
As the revised census process gets underway, development partners, civil society, and the general public are being called upon to remain actively engaged to ensure transparency and timely delivery across all phases.
By John King
