Office plans to submit figure

PAPUA New Guinea’s current population is still unknown and the National Statistical Office is aware of the issue with plans to submit a figure by March, an official says.
Acting National Statistician John Igitoi said his office was unable to conduct the scheduled 2020 national census due to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic in the country and a lack of adequate funding.
Igitoi said despite the deferral of the 2020 national census, his office would still present a report to the Government to help the PNG Electoral Commission update the common roll.
He said queries raised by Rabaul MP Dr Allan Marat to Prime Minister James Marape asking him to give the country’s current population and the number of eligible voters was reasonable but they had to consider the challenges faced that caused the deferral of the census.
“As stated last Wednesday in The National, no one, including our Prime Minister, knows the current population of the country, I agree with that,” he said.
“As citizens, you have to consider the challenges that we’ve been through. We all aware of the Covid-19 outbreak and a lack of funding, these were major factors that prevented the conduct of the 2020 census and the NEC (National Executive Council) was aware of that.”
Igitoi said after the NEC decision last year to defer the census, his office was working on an interim report that would include all data information and would be submitted by March.
He said his office had announced that the census had been deferred to 2024 and they were preparing for that.