Sierra Leone Population and Housing Census 2004

The Republic of Sierra Leone is a small coastal West African country bordered by Guinea
and Liberia. Sierra Leone has an area of 71,620 square kilometers (about 28,000 square
miles). The country is divided into four major Administrative Areas namely, The Western
Area, Northern Province, Southern Province and Eastern Province.

The Provinces are divided into twelve districts and the districts are divided into one hundred
and forty nine chiefdoms. Western Area is divided into (Western Urban) Freetown and
Western Rural Areas. Freetown is divided into wards.

There are five Physical Regions in Sierra Leone: (i) The Central Plains, (ii) The Northern
Woodlands Savannah, (iii) The South Western Upland, (iv) The Western Coastal Swamps
and (v) the Western Peninsula Upland Region.

The country is mountainous; about 50% of the terrain is covered by mountains including the
Capital, Freetown. Agriculture is the main occupation for the people of Sierra Leone;
especially rice farming in which about 60% of the people are engaged through the practice
of shifting cultivation.

Sierra Leone has a tropical climate with two very different seasons - the Dry Season,
traditionally from November to April and the Rainy Season from May to October with July
and August being the wettest months of the year. In 2004, the census was taken in
December.

BACKGROUND OF AND JUSTIFICATION FOR THE 2004 POPULATION AND HOUSING
CENSUS

The first population count in Sierra Leone was undertaken in 1802 in what is now the
Western Area. Subsequently, a number of population counts in various parts of the country
were conducted. However, it was not until 1963 that the whole country was covered for
the first time and, since then, censuses have been carried out at intervals ranging from 10
to 17 years.

The first full-scale modern Population Census, however, was that of April 1963. It was also
the first post independence census and it was conducted with the expectation that a
decennial census programme would be maintained. Due to various constraints, however,
the next two censuses were conducted at eleven-year intervals in 1974 and 1985. Due to
the war situation, a census was not conducted in 1995. The next Population Census was
conducted in December 2004.

The 1985 census showed a total population of about 3.5 million. It was a de facto count
with December 1, 2004 as the reference date. The topics covered in the census were:
Relationship, sex, age, maternal orphan hood, birth place, nationality, place of residence,
level of education, marital status, type of economic activity, occupation, industry,
employment status, children ever born to women aged 10 years and above, particulars of
most recent birth and housing conditions.

The census data was processed on a Wang Vs 80 mini-computer and data entry was done
on 19 workstations.

The publication plan relating to the 1985 Census results proposed the following:

· The Preliminary Reports
· National Statistical Tables
· Summary Statistics on Settlements of 1000 or more people
· Analytical Report
· Report of Seminar on the use of census data

The provisional census results indicating a total population of 3,515,812 was announced in
January 1986 and The Preliminary Report published in August 1986. Due to delay in the
installation of the data processing equipments, however, there were delays in the
production of the final statistical tables. Further, considerable time was spent investigating a
significant difference (about 9 percent) between the provisional results and the total
population figure of 3,222,901 obtained after the computer processing of the census
returns. On the basis of the investigation, the Sierra Leone Government endorsed the 3,
515,812 as the total population of the 1985 Census.

Following the acceptance of the census results, a team of local consultants carried out the
analysis of the census data on the following themes:

· The Land and The People
· Population size, growth, age and sex structure
· Education and Literacy
· Employment and Labour Force
· Nuptiality and Fertility
· Mortality Levels and Differentials
· Household and Dwelling Characteristics
· The Census Operations

The following reports were published as a result of these consultant reports:

· Volume 1: Summary Results; May 1992
· Volume 2: National Dissemination Seminar Report; July1992
· Volume 3: Analytical Report, 1996

In addition to the published reports, census data including computer printout of tabulations
were sent out to some Ministries, Departments and Agencies and various other data users
such as the University of Sierra Leone.

Since the 1985 Population and Housing Census, a number of nation-wide surveys in the
area of education, health, HIV/AIDS etc. have been conducted by the National Statistical
Agency (formerly Central Statistics Office and now Statistics Sierra Leone) and other
stakeholders: These include the following:

· Labour Force Survey (1988/89)
· Survey on Household Expenditure and Household Economic Activities (1989/90)
· Demographic and Social Monitoring Survey (1992)
· National Nutrition Survey by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation with support from UNICEF
(1989)
· Multi Indicator Cluster Survey II with support from UNICEF (2000)

The National Population Commission (NPC) which was established in 1982 also used the
1985 Census data to adopt a “National Population Policy for Development Progress and
Welfare” in August 1989. Even before the development of the National Population Policy, the
first five-year Development Plan (1974 - 1979) had drawn attention to the “interactive role of
population and development planning generally”.

Population data is therefore needed on a continuous basis for the formulation,
implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the country's population programme and
development planning. Thus, Population Censuses and Household Sample Surveys
constituted the major sources of national population data in the country. The decennial
Population Censuses and the Central Statistics Office/Statistics Sierra Leone inter-censual
programme of household Surveys are therefore regarded as essential elements in the
country's population programme and development plans.

The Population Censuses together with the related Enumeration Areas (EA) maps provide a
sampling frame for the Household Sample Surveys. Therefore, the two data collection
systems are considered complementary. Prior to the 2004 Census, the available EA maps
were those prepared for the 1974 Census because it had been planned to update the EAs
for the 1985 Census and some field work was initiated but due to time constraint and
inadequate planning, the exercise could not be completed. Thus, the 1974 EA maps were
used for the 1985 Census Enumeration and two or more enumerators assigned to each EA.
This might have contributed to the suspected under-enumeration in the 1985 Census.
Therefore, the cartographic exercise for the 2004 Census was thoroughly done.

The 2004 Population and Housing Census together with the cartographic work was,
therefore, undertaken not only to maintain a regular census programme but also to provide a
more accurate updated bench-mark population data as well as a geographic frame for
inter-censual surveys and related statistical sample enquiries.

Please note that because of the difference in the methodology used in the censuses prior to
1963, the population totals of the country prior to 1963 can not be compared with the more
recent censuses. The population totals for the period 1901 to 2004 were as follows:

· 1901 1,024,178
· 1911 1,400,132
· 1921 1,540,554
· 1931 1,768,480
· 1948 1,858,275
· 1963 2,180,355
· 1974 2,735,159
· 1985 3, 515,812
· 2004 4,976,871

THE OBJECTIVES OF THE 2004 POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS

The last census that was held in Sierra Leone was in 1985 and according to normal
procedure, there should have been another census in 1995 but due the eleven-year war, it
was not possible and the 1985 census data had become completely obsolete and needed to
be updated. Therefore the main objectives of the 2004 population and Housing Census
were:
· To help ensure the availability of a time series of population data to support
socio-economic development planning and population programmes as well as to contribute
to the development of national capacity for statistical enquiries.

· Continue the regular pattern of the conduct of censuses in Sierra Leone as a continuing
scheme of statistical data collection.

· Provide information on housing conditions in the country after the eleven-year war.

FUNDING AND IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY

A census requires substantial financial, material and human resources. Because of the
security situation in the country for the last eleven years, the Sierra Leone Government had
to play a greater leadership role than it had in previous censuses as a confidence building
measure so as to attract foreign Donors. The Sierra Leone Government demonstrated this
by providing funding for the locality listing exercise, which started in January 2001. The
Government of Sierra Leone also provided funds for the purchase of vehicles, office and
data processing equipments needed for the start of cartographic field work.

Donors started coming on board after they were satisfied that the security situation had
improved to the level that can justify their confidence. In the end, the project benefited from
two major Donors, UNFPA whose support was mainly in the area of cartography,
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and capacity building at SSL and European Union
who supported data collection, data processing, data analysis , evaluation and
dissemination.
The objectives were expected to be realized through a number of interrelated activities,
which were carried out in the following four major phases:

· Preparatory Phase
· Data Collection Phase
· Data Processing Phase
· Data Analysis, Evaluation and Dissemination

All these activities were possible because of the improvement in the security situation,
which saw the restoration of Government of Sierra Leone control and authority in all areas
of the country.

PREPARATORY PHASE OF THE CENSUS/PRE-CENSUS ACTIVITIES

The preparatory phase of the 2004 Population and Housing Census started with the full
understanding that it was important to have very good preparations if the entire census is to
be successful. It was therefore necessary to start with the establishment of the legal basis
for the census, followed by setting up the necessary administrative/organizational
machinery, establishment of a programme on cartographic mapping, determination of the
scope and coverage of the census including preparation of the relevant instruments and the
development of census education and communication programme.