The Chief of the Census Organization and Processes Department at the Statistics Agency, Kobil Berdikulov, announced during a press conference that the preparation for the population census in Uzbekistan began in 2019. In 2021, a pilot census was conducted in four regions, testing three census methods. The upcoming census in the country is planned to utilize modern information technologies, such as tablets and internet data collection, after being postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic.
Given the complexity and cost of the census, it is scheduled to take place in 2025-2026, following a thorough review of its financial and technical aspects and the enhancement of the agency's system. The total cost for the census is estimated at 800 billion soums (approximately 63.4 million dollars), with a projected saving of around 46 million dollars by transitioning from paper-based data collection methods.
In comparison to countries with similar population sizes, Canada's census cost was estimated at 650 million dollars, Poland at 98 million dollars, and Ukraine at 270 million dollars.
According to a recent presidential decree, the Statistics Agency is tasked with continuing the preparations for the census throughout 2024. This includes the development of promotional materials such as videos, banners, flyers, and brochures to raise awareness about the census among the population. The agency is also required to enhance the census questionnaire based on the 2021 pilot census results and international expert recommendations.
Furthermore, the agency is to improve the "Population Census" information system based on international best practices, procure a STATA software package license, create layouts for presenting census results, and develop an organizational plan for the census. The preparation and publication of the census results are scheduled for 2026-2027.
It has been 34 years since the last population census was conducted in Uzbekistan (since 1989). Due to the pandemic, the census was postponed from 2022 to November 2023, yet funds for the event have not been allocated.
