2024 census final report presented to President

Colombo, April 6 (Daily Mirror) - The final report of the Census of Population and Housing 2024 was officially presented today (06) at the Presidential Secretariat to Anura Kumara Dissanayake by Census and Statistics Department Director General K. M. D. S. D. Karunarathne.

The Census of Population and Housing 2024 marks the 15th census conducted in Sri Lanka and stands out as the first to utilise tablet computers and smart mobile phones for nationwide data collection. A total of 15,000 such devices were deployed, enabling faster data gathering, minimising errors, and allowing real-time transmission of information to central servers for efficient analysis and report preparation.

Conducted under the authority of the Census Ordinance, the exercise is considered the largest and most complex data-gathering initiative undertaken by a government institution in the country. It was carried out under the technical guidance of the Department of Census and Statistics, with district-level administration overseeing operations.

A large number of specially trained personnel, including government officials, university students and higher education trainees, participated in the nationwide effort. The official “Census Moment” was set at midnight on December 19, 2024.

The report provides comprehensive data on Sri Lanka’s population, including growth trends, district-wise distribution and occupied housing units. It serves as the country’s primary demographic record, offering detailed insights into housing conditions, socio-economic characteristics and regional disparities, which are vital for policymaking and development planning.

Speaking on the process, Karunarathne said that the adoption of digital technology enabled the collection of a wider range of data compared to previous censuses, resulting in a more detailed and analytically robust report.

The handover ceremony was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Anil Jayantha Fernando, Deputy Minister of Economic Development Nishantha Jayaweera, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Harshana Suriyapperuma, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury A. K. Seneviratne, and Additional Director General Vasana Jayakody, along with several officials from the Department of Census and Statistics.