Census 2023: The number of people counted will be increased for a second time in some major cities
To finish the remaining census work and ensure 100% coverage, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) Monday extended the date of the ongoing digital census for the second time till April 15, a statement said.
The date to complete work of the country’s seventh population census has been extended by the chief census commissioner in metropolitan cities — including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Quetta, Gilgit, and Karachi or as the Sindh government thought it appropriate — the PBS mentioned.
It added that the census date has also been extended for 13 towns of Balochistan.
The date for the population count has been pushed back for the second time. Before, the PBS pushed the date back to April 10.
Census 2023: The number of people counted will be increased for a second time in some major cities
“In order to finish the remaining census work and make sure that the whole country was covered, the provincial governments were asked for information about the cities and the extra time needed to finish the remaining work. This was done so that the census operation could be extended on a customized basis only for the cities where the census work wasn’t finished,” the statement said.
If enumerators haven’t been to your house yet, you can call the toll-free number 0800-57574, which will be open 24/7, to let them know. This is Pakistan’s first-ever digital census, and it’s being done by a federal body.
Citizens can also send their full address via SMS to 9727 to complain about not being covered. They can also visit or call PBS Regional Offices or the 495 Census Support Center, which was set up at the tehsil level, to complain about not being covered.
“At the same time, the quality of the data is being made sure by using Computer-Assisted Telephonic Interview (CATI) for the Post-Enumeration Survey, and the respected citizens are asked to work with our team to verify their data through random calls made by CATI,” PBS said.
As the most important people involved in and who will benefit from the census, citizens have also been asked to make sure they fully participate and work with field staff who visit them and call center workers who may call them to check data for quality control and file complaints if they don’t think they were covered.
“Participating in the census is not only our moral and legal duty, but it also gives the government a chance to plan policies based on facts that protect our rights and help us get better services at our doorstep,” the statement said.
The government body thanked the country and stakeholders for their tireless efforts and unwavering support to accomplish over 97% of census field operations.
The current census is being done online for the first time by PBS. Census field operations have been going on nonstop since March 1.
“The digital census went very well, and it’s a proud moment for the country because it was the biggest digital census in South Asia up to that point. Overall, the progress of the census is very good and promising,” the statement said.
So far, information from more than 97% of listed households has been collected across the country using tablets. Less than 3% of the census fieldwork is still to be done, mostly in large towns in different provinces and a few cities in Balochistan.
Over 99% of Punjab, 98% of Sindh, 90% of Islamabad, and 82% of Balochistan have been covered by census research and data collection. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir are also almost done with their census work.
PBS enumerators have finished 100% of census work in 131 districts out of 156 districts across the country, while 70% to 80% of census work is done in the remaining 25 districts and work is in progress.
“It’s important to note that the work completion percentage may go up a little bit after the data from some finished blocks in the offline zone are synchronized. “The fact that over 97% of the census work is done across the country is a big deal and will lead to a new era of prosperity in Pakistan,” PBS wrote.
The News says that PBS has also asked for a re-count in about 30,000 Karachi buildings with more than four floors. The list of these buildings was sent to the Sindh government, whose employees have been doing the census work in the city.
The PBS tracking team has found 40,000 buildings across the country where they think some homes may not have been counted. About 30,000 of these houses are in Karachi.
The PBS top statistician, Dr. Naeemuz Zafar, has shown the provincial census commissioner in Karachi a few of these buildings in person and asked the right assistant commissioners to count them again.