National Census 2011 figures finally launched

Caption:   Minister Abel (left) and Acting National Statistician Roko Koloma

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, January 26, 2014 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

IT is official- the population of Papua New Guinea is 7.3 million.

The long awaited National Population Census Final Figures were finally launched last week in Port Moresby by National Planning and Monitoring Minister Charles Abel and Acting National Statistician Roko Koloma.

In revealing some of the figures, Planning Minister Charles Abel, said the results were no surprise- adding that at the present rate the country could see its population double in two decade from now.

“In terms of the figures that we are releasing today, it is not much of a surprise as we have had the interim figures released last year, but the figure that we are releasing for 2011 is 7.3 million people in Papua New Guinea in total, representing an increase of 2.1 million people over the previous census which was of course 11 years ago from 2011.”

“These figures indicate and again this is no great surprise and news, but the population is growing at a rate of 3 per cent, which is one of the highest rates of growth in the region, and it indicates that if we continue at this rate the population will double in 23 years’ time.”

The Minister said that since the time of the census to early 2014 it had been 2 years since that, with the rate of 3 per cent growth, the country would now have approximated 7.8 million people are in PNG.

Abel admitted the government’s lapse in providing the findings on time at the same time reminding NSO to not let it happen again as the state had provided a lot of funding.

“We as a government acknowledge in general that we have remiss in terms of producing timely relevant information,” he said.

“We acknowledge and admit that we do understand, and realise that relevant and timely information is so crucial in terms of our development activities, and we simply have not been able to produce those figures.”

“At the same time we say to NSO that it should not happen this way, if you have large amounts of money and properly plan and coordinate an exercise.”

“You should not come down to last minute exercises like this that will put all of us under stress and in the end the outcome is late.”

He added that whilst they had produced and now presented the final figures, the analysis of the data is yet to be completed called NSO to produce the final analysis around the information at least by June.

Roko Koloma said that the launch of the final figures where the second last step before the final analysis, which would be completed by June of this year.

It contains the national population figures, giving snap shots in comparison to previous census in areas of regions, and provinces.

He also thanked the National Government for its support in fully funding the census since 2011 at the cost of K112 million.

“The census is the first for our developing country for a Government to actually fund the whole operation of census taking with more than K100 million, and I take my hat off to the state,” he said.

“Census taking in Papua New Guinea has always been difficult since the very first census was taken in 1980.”

“The reasons are that geographically we are one of the very difficult countries to move around in terms of Logistics, and other issues like law and order also contribute to this.”

The National Statistics Office has conducted four censuses to date- with censuses 1980, 1990, 2000, and the latest in 2011.

Koloma said that the release of the final count was timely as the nation has been waiting anxiously to know the population that was counted in 2011, adding that the final figures were the second set of result for the 2011 census- the first being the release of the preliminary figures in 2012.

“The final figures are the second set of the results for 2011 census, and the next set of reports will be on the analysis of the 22 provinces and also a national report will be compiled before the end of the timeline in June.”

“I have a strong belief in me and my team to deliver the products of the census in the timeline set.”

He gave special mention to two major partners in AusAid and the UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), for their assistance in compiling and assisting in the census.