Mauritania launches fifth population census

Mauritania kick-started Monday December 25 the fifth national census of the population aiming at gathering data needed to prepare, implement, monitor, and evaluate the various development policies.

The country’s National Agency for Statistics and Demographic and Economic Analysis (ANSADE), in charge of the process, said the census will run until January 9.

ANSADE announced the census in November. Mohamed Mokhtar Ould Sidi, head of the agency told the National committee for the census that the process will provide the data needed to prepare, implement, monitor, and evaluate the various development policies. The country currently has a population of 4.7 million people according to 2022 data by the World Bank.

The census is part of the implementation of United Nations recommendations that member States organize a general population and housing census every ten years. The latest census took place in 2013.