Tashkent – UNFPA and the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on statistics presented the preliminary findings and recommendations of a pilot population census at a debriefing meeting on 19 November, 2021 in Tashkent.

The pilot census took place in four districts of the Central Asian country and 594,000 people (1.8 per cent of the population) were interviewed.

The main objectives of the pilot were to identify potential challenges, to assess the quality of the census enumeration process and its alignment with international standards, and to draw recommendations for the upcoming main census.

UNFPA supported the State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on statistics in conducting the pilot census by engaging international experts from the Statistical Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus, the United States Census Bureau, the European Union and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to monitor the pilot census and develop recommendations based on their observations.

"Data gathered from census surveys is critical for good governance, policy formulation, development planning, risk reduction, crisis response and social welfare programmes," said Mr. Yu Yu, UNFPA Representative in Uzbekistan. "UNFPA has been coordinating the support of multiple partners for the last two years to uphold international principles and standards and produce data that are widely disseminated and utilized for development.”

The 2023 population and housing census will be the first census in Uzbekistan for thirty years.