REASONS WHY POPULATION CENSUS IS IMPORTANT

Reasons why Population Census is Important in every Country
Population census may be defined as a regular counting of the number of women, men, children, able and disabled people in a country by the government for the purpose of economic planning and development.
Importance of Population Census
1. Population Density: The density of the population of the different areas of a country can easily be known. This will enable government to know the areas with large or small number of people
2. Labor: The number of labor available at a particular time in an area can be determined through population census.
3. Health: Provision of effective health care system because of a working knowledge of the number of doctors and nurses available, the number of hospitals and health centers, and this can easily be ascertained through a good and accurate population census.
4. Population size: Population census helps the government to know the total number of people in the country. This includes the sex, age, geographical and occupational distribution of the population
5. Economic Planning and Development: The Economic growth, planning and development of the country can easily be carried out using figures obtained from population census
6. Employment Opportunities and Control: The number of employed people could easily be known by the government through population census and this makes it possible for the government to know the number of employment opportunities to generate and control.
7. Provision of Social Amenities: Government would be able to know the number of people in a particular area at a given time and provision of social amenities could be based on the population of that area
8. Income Distribution: The national income of a country would be distributed equitably based on the knowledge of the population
9. Government Revenue: Through population census, the government will be able to know the number of taxable adults and this will help in no small measure in the estimation of the expected revenue for a particular period.
10. Education: The Government would be able to plan an effective educational system for its country based on a good knowledge of the population of the country.
11. Housing: Government would be able to know whether the houses available are enough for the population
12. Transport: population census makes it possible for the government to know the types of transport facilities that are required for the country.
13. Planning: Population figures are sources of data, which are required by the government for effective forecasting and planning
14. Distribution of Natural Resources: Natural resources of a country can easily and effectively be distributed if the population of the Country is known
15. Labor Availability: Population growth rate determines the level of labor supply