By Ibrahim Kabba Turay
Statistics Sierra Leone has yesterday 31st May, 2022, announced the provisional result of the 2021 Mid-Term Population and Housing Census, Kenema topping the list with 772,472 followed by Bo district with 756,975.
According to the result, the country has a total population of 7,541,641 of which 3,825,378 are women and 3,716,263 men.
Statistics Sierra Leone says the first ever digital mid-term population and housing census covered a significant landscape of the entire country, adding that the result will create room for development, enhance plans for the Mid-Term Development Plan of 2019 to 2023 and feature development plan in the country.
The census which was highly unpopular among the opposition, kicked off on December 10, 2021, amidst financial challenges and poor planning. This follows after World Bank, a major funder of the census withdrew its financial technical support for the census.
Announcing the census provisional result, the Statistician General Prof. Osman Alimany Sankoh thanked the President Bio for entrusting his leadership and confidence in the entire board and staff of Statistics Sierra Leone.
He also thanked the World Bank for their initial support which he said, played a considerable part of the census activities, including the procurement of all the required IT equipment that made Stats SL one of the best equipped National Stats offices in Africa. He also acknowledged World Bank for financing the cartographic mapping exercise and the pilot census.
Sankoh said Eastern region which comprises of Kailahun, Kenema and Kono Districts has a total number of 1,939,122. The North East, which entails Bombali, falaba, Koinadugu, and Tonkolili has a total population of 1,316,831.
Kambia, Portloko, and Karene Districts, the North West has a total of 1,186,050 while the South which includes Bo, Bonthe, Moyamba, and Pujehun Districts has a population of 1,830,881. And the Western – West Rural and West Urban has a total number of 1,268,757.
