{"id":67790,"date":"2026-04-11T16:26:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T16:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/countdown-to-lesothos-2026-population-and-housing-census"},"modified":"2026-04-11T16:52:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T16:52:42","slug":"countdown-to-lesothos-2026-population-and-housing-census","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/countdown-to-lesothos-2026-population-and-housing-census","title":{"rendered":"Countdown to Lesotho’s 2026 Population and Housing Census"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

What You Need to Know<\/h4>\n

The countdown to Lesotho’s 2026 Population and Housing Census has begun, set to start on April 12. Spearheaded by the Bureau of Statistics with UNFPA support, the census aims to count every resident and gather vital housing data. This digital, paperless initiative will enhance efficiency and accuracy, ensuring that national planning meets the people’s needs.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Africa-Press – Lesotho. <\/strong> <\/span>The countdown to the 2026 Population and Housing Census in Lesotho is officially underway, with national efforts ramping up to ensure every household is counted for future development planning.<\/p>\n

Scheduled to begin on April 12, this nationwide exercise is being spearheaded by the Bureau of Statistics (BOS) within the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, with significant technical and financial support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).<\/p>\n

With just one day to go, anticipation is high and sensitization campaigns are reaching from the lowlands to the highlands.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe census aims to count every resident, emphasizing that every voice matters for national development\u201d, said Mrs. \u2018Mammopa Likotsi one of Maseru District Publicity Team during a public gathering at Ha-Setala.<\/p>\n

She explained that beyond population numbers, the Census will cover housing characteristics such as access to electricity and water as well as a module on migration and diaspora to track skills and population changes.<\/p>\n

She highlighted that the Census acts as a snapshot of the nation, therefore urged residents to welcome enumerators and provide accurate information to ensure that national planning is tailored to the actual needs of the people.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Census is crucial for updating data on population size, distribution and living conditions which directly informs government decisions on healthcare, education and infrastructure among others\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, community members appreciated sensitization saying they hope the Census will help government to address developments they lack.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile as part of the countdown, a pilot Census was successfully ran from April 16 to 30, 2025, serving as a crucial test to resolve operational and technological challenges before the main event.<\/p>\n

A key highlight of the 2026 census is its fully digital, paperless approach where Enumerators will use tablets (Personal Data Assistants) to collect data, improving efficiency and accuracy.<\/p>\n

The 2026 Housing and Population Census is the seventh undertaken by Lesotho since that of 1966.<\/p>\n

Lesotho has conducted several population censuses since its independence, with the first one in 1966. These censuses are crucial for understanding demographic changes and informing government policies. The upcoming 2026 census marks the seventh iteration, reflecting the country’s commitment to utilizing accurate data for development planning and resource allocation. The transition to a fully digital approach in this census represents a significant modernization in data collection methods, aiming to improve the overall efficiency and accuracy of the process.<\/p>\n

Find more news and analyses on Lesotho<\/span> on the Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What You Need to Know The countdown to Lesotho’s 2026 Population and Housing Census has begun, set to start on April 12. Spearheaded by the Bureau of Statistics with UNFPA support, the census aims to count every resident and gather vital housing data. This digital, paperless initiative will enhance efficiency and accuracy, ensuring that national […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":67789,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[7182,502,7348,245,537],"class_list":["post-67790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-census","tag-development","tag-housing","tag-lesotho","tag-population"],"yoast_head":"\nCountdown to Lesotho's 2026 Population and Housing Census - Lesotho<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The 2026 Population and Housing Census in Lesotho begins April 12, aiming for accurate data to inform national development.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/countdown-to-lesothos-2026-population-and-housing-census\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Countdown to Lesotho's 2026 Population and Housing Census\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The 2026 Population and Housing Census in Lesotho begins April 12, aiming for accurate data to inform national development.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/countdown-to-lesothos-2026-population-and-housing-census\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lesotho\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-11T16:26:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-11T16:52:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2026\/04\/sm_1775926104.927867.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"585\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/countdown-to-lesothos-2026-population-and-housing-census#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/countdown-to-lesothos-2026-population-and-housing-census\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Countdown to Lesotho’s 2026 Population and Housing Census\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-11T16:26:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-11T16:52:42+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/countdown-to-lesothos-2026-population-and-housing-census\"},\"wordCount\":467,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/countdown-to-lesothos-2026-population-and-housing-census#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/sites\/62\/2026\/04\/sm_1775926104.927867.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"census\",\"development\",\"housing\",\"Lesotho\",\"Population\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/countdown-to-lesothos-2026-population-and-housing-census#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/countdown-to-lesothos-2026-population-and-housing-census\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/lesotho\/all-news\/countdown-to-lesothos-2026-population-and-housing-census\",\"name\":\"Countdown to Lesotho's 2026 Population and Housing Census - 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