Sri Lanka Presents Final Report of 2024 Population and Housing Census to President
Colombo, The Gulf Observer: The final report of the Census of Population and Housing 2024 was formally presented at the Presidential Secretariat to Anura Kumara Dissanayake by K. M. D. S. D. Karunarathne, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics.
Marking the 15th census conducted in Sri Lanka, the 2024 exercise stands out as the first to employ digital technology, including tablet computers and smartphones, for nationwide data collection. Approximately 15,000 devices were deployed, enabling faster data gathering, minimizing errors, and facilitating real-time transmission of information for efficient analysis and report preparation.
Conducted under the Census Ordinance, the initiative is regarded as the largest and most complex data collection exercise undertaken by a government institution in the country. The census was implemented under the technical supervision of the Department of Census and Statistics, with district-level administrations overseeing field operations.
A large number of trained personnel, including government officials, university students, and higher education trainees, participated in the nationwide effort. The official “Census Moment” was observed at midnight on December 19, 2024.
The report offers comprehensive insights into Sri Lanka’s population, covering growth trends, district-wise distribution, and occupied housing units. It serves as the country’s primary demographic record, providing detailed data on housing conditions, socio-economic characteristics, and regional disparities—key elements for informed policymaking and national development planning.
Speaking on the process, Karunarathne highlighted that the adoption of digital technology enabled the collection of a broader range of data compared to previous censuses, resulting in a more detailed and analytically robust report.
The handover ceremony was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning Anil Jayantha Fernando, Deputy Minister of Economic Development Nishantha Jayaweera, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Harshana Suriyapperuma, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury A. K. Seneviratne, Additional Director General Vasana Jayakody, and other senior officials from the Department of Census and Statistics.
