MBABANE – The Ministry of Economic Planning and Development, in collaboration with UNFPA launched the 2027 Population and Housing Census (PHC) and the 2025/2026 Economic Census, supported by UNFPA.
The announcement of the three censuses was made by Minister Dr Thambo Gina yesterday at the ministry’s offices, where United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Head of Office, Margaret Thwala, was also present.
The minister revealed that the government, through the Central Statistical Office (CSO), conducts surveys and censuses to ensure statistics are up to date and internationally comparable.
Dr Gina mentioned the main purpose of producing these statistics is for use in planning, policy formulation and decision-making in various sectors of the economy.
He said: “Today marks the beginning of two crucial national exercises that will provide reliable and timely data for contribution to the improvement of quality of life, provide valuable socio-economic data and help us understand, in detail, how our economy is structured and how it is performing.”
The minister revealed that a Population and Housing Census is a project undertaken decennially, according to the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses. The last census was conducted in 2017 and was the country’s first digital census; the next is due in 2027.
He said a census is a very big undertaking; hence preparations begin years before the actual census dates. He mentioned it is conducted in two phases: The mapping and listing phase and the main data collection phase.
“The Central Statistical Office will be conducting the first phase of the census, which is the listing exercise. The Economic Census is a comprehensive survey designed to collect, assess and analyse information from all businesses operating within the Kingdom of Eswatini, regardless of their size—whether small, medium or large,” said the minister.
Dr Gina highlighted that this census forms a cornerstone of national planning efforts. It enables government and stakeholders to measure the structure and performance of the economy by collecting data on production, employment and investments across all sectors. In simple terms, as revealed by the minister, the Economic Census tells the story of how businesses are shaping the economy—how much they produce, how many people they employ and how much they invest.
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Minister for Economic Development and Planning Dr Thambo Gina (R), UNFPA Head of Office Margaret Thwala (2nd R), Director of Statistics Thembinkosi Shabalala and Director of National Population Unit Nombulelo Dlamini during the launch of the 2027 Population and Housing Census and the 2025/2026 Economic Census, at the ministry’s offices yesterday. (Pic: Sabelo Majola)