At the end of March, Kyrgyzstan began its third population and housing census since independence in 1991. Some 24,000 enumerators, like Ermek Kydyev (middle), were recruited to survey the population of almost 7 million. 29 March 2022. Photo by Askat Chynaly.

This is the first census to be conducted electronically in the Central Asian country. Baktybek Kainazarov (right), a population and development analyst at UNFPA Kyrgyzstan, accompanied Ermek Kaptagaev (left), an enumerator, as he interviewed people. 28 March 2022. Photo by Askat Chynaly.

Azamat Baialinov, Head of the UNFPA Kyrgyzstan Country Office, meets Bekmurat Aitiev, Head of Jalal-Abad city Statistics Department, in south-west Kyrgyzstan, to discuss the census. 26 March 2022. Photo by Askat Chynaly.

An enumerator interviews a man on a horse in Kara-Kol, eastern Kyrgyzstan. The census will provide data on the social and economic situation, education level of citizens, marriage and family structures and the ethnolinguistic composition of the population. 26 March 2022. Photo by Askat Chynaly.

Enumerators collected census data using a mobile app developed by the World Bank. “Previous censuses were paper-based,” said Dinara Isakova, the leading specialist at the Bishkek Statistics Administration of the National Statistical Committee. “This year, the census is totally automated." 3 April 2022. Photo by Askat Chynaly.

During the 10-day census period, each enumerator had to interview 400 people, like this family in Chui province, in the most northerly region of Kyrgyzstan. 29 March 2022. Photo by Askat Chynaly.

The census was originally planned to take place in 2020, but it was postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic. Enumerators had to wait two years before they could survey citizens, like this man in Bokonbaev village, on the southern shore of lake Issyk. 29 March 2022. Photo by Askat Chynaly.

UNFPA supported the National Statistical Committee with methodological support, training, monitoring and in development of the census questionnaire. 29 March 2022. Photo by Askat Chynaly.

People living in remote areas will be surveyed at the end of April. The roads are blocked by snow for much of the month making it impossible for the enumerators to collect data. 29 March 2022. Photo by Askat Chynaly.

The data gathered from the census will inform policymaking and infrastructure planning. It will enable Kyrgyzstan to become more demographically resilient and make progress towards achieving its development goals. 29 March 2022. Photo by Askat Chynaly.