A trapped Census and a blindfolded budget

Nov 27, 2025 Letters

Dear Editor,

The continuing delay in releasing the results of the 2022 Population and Housing Census is no longer a technical inconvenience, it has become a national liability.

Three years after the data was collected, the country still has no official population count, no updated regional distribution, no age profiles, and no migration-adjusted figures. And this week, when asked about the status of the long-overdue report, the Minister of Finance responded that he is “awaiting an update.” That casual remark reveals a deeper problem: a government that appears unbothered by a data vacuum that now affects every major national decision.

This delay is not happening in a vacuum. Only days ago, the European Union Election Observation Mission, in its 2025 Final Report, flagged the absence of updated Census data as a weakness in electoral transparency. The EU noted that voter-registration figures, boundary allocations, and overall assessments of the electoral roll are being done without the most basic demographic information. For a country that witnessed another tense election cycle, this should be treated as urgent. Instead, it is being shrugged off.

But the consequences extend far beyond elections. The government is currently formulating the 2026 National Budget, allocating billions for housing, health, education, infrastructure, drainage, youth programmes, and hinterland development, without knowing how many people live in the country or where they live. How can a budget be credible when its foundational numbers come from 2012 and guesswork? How can planners meaningfully address migration surges, urban expansion, overcrowded schools, or shifting labour-force needs when the nation’s baseline dataset is missing?

Guyana cannot boast of modern governance while operating without modern data. The economy is expanding rapidly, migration patterns are shifting dramatically, and demand for public services is rising unevenly across regions. Yet the most essential planning tool, a Census, is trapped in unexplained delay, with no timeline, no accountability, and now, no urgency expressed by those responsible.

The release of the Census is not optional. It is a matter of public transparency, electoral credibility, economic planning, and sound governance. The Ministry of Finance, the Bureau of Statistics, and the wider government owe the nation a clear explanation and an immediate timetable for publication. Guyana cannot move forward on blind estimates. The data belongs to the people. It is time we see it.

Yours faithfully,
Sherod Duncan, M.P

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