USAID and UNFPA Sign Agreement To Support Preparation Of The 5th Population And Housing Census 2025

August 2022, Vientiane Capital - The United State Agency for International Development (USAID) has committed $500,000 USD to support preparation of the 5th Population and Housing Census (PHC) 2025. The funds will be provided through the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

A PHC is undertaken every ten years to generate a wealth of data, including specifying numbers of people, their geographic distribution, age and sex composition, as well as their living conditions, and other key socioeconomic characteristics. The PHC data are critical for good governance, policy formulation, development planning, crisis prevention, mitigation and response, social welfare programs, and business market analyses.

Lao PDR, through the Lao Statistics Bureau (LSB), has conducted four PHCs, with the most recent in 2015.  Lessons learned from previous PHCs have led to the early planning of the 2025 PHC and the use of digital innovation for timely, cost-effective, and high quality census processes and results. Such innovative technologies will include, for example, electronic data collection and the use of GIS-based census mapping to yield more quickly available and higher quality data. 

Mme. Phonesaly Souksavath, Head of Lao Statistics Bureau said: “LSB is a key government sector of Lao PDR that has a leading role in the preparation and implementation of the 5th population and housing census, 2025. I would like to congratulate and acknowledge the support from development partners and donors at national and international levels to the Lao government through bilateral and multi- bilateral frameworks. This is an exemplary cooperation that will significantly contribute to census data collection, analysis and dissemination, ensuring high quality and timely disaggregated population data that meet international standards.”

Michel Ronning, USAID Country Representative to Lao PDR said, “USAID is proud to support LSB to prepare for the fifth Population and Housing Census. This important partnership with LSB and UNFPA will assist the Lao PDR to make informed decisions on policies and programs that will benefit the people of Laos.” 

The 2025 PHC will track population dynamics and provide an evidence base for developing and tracking the 9th and 10th five-year National Socio-Economic Development Plans (NSEDP), the Sustainable Development Goals, and International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action.

Mariam Khan, UNFPA Representative to Lao PDR said, “The PHC is critical for achieving the collective vision to leave no one behind and help Lao PDR monitor and achieve targets set in national and international development platforms. UNFPA is delighted to welcome USAID as a partner in support of the 2025 PHC.” 

Often, a national census is the only source of information for identifying social, demographic, and economic exclusion – Up to 107 of the 231 unique indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals require population data for monitoring and censuses are a key source.