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PRESS RELEASE |
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MINISTRY OF
FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING
2006 POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS PRELIMINARY RESULTS
It will be recalled that the Ministry of Finance and
Development Planning conducted the Population and Housing
Census in April 2006, covering 10 Districts, 80
Constituencies, 128 Community Councils, Cattle Posts as well
as Institutions throughout the country. Preliminary results
have now been compiled and are today released for public
consumption.
Based on these results, the 2006 population of Lesotho is
1,872,721 as compared with 1,845,967 in 1996. This is
equivalent to a 1.4% increase in the population over its
1996 level. The preliminary figure is lower than the
population projection for 2006 of 2.2 million based on the
1996 Census. It should be noted, however, that the
preliminary results might change after validation of the
census results using a Post Enumeration Survey conducted in
May/June 2006 and a detailed analysis of the Census data.
While awaiting the outcome of an in-depth analysis of the
Census data, available data indicate a declining trend in
Total Fertility Rate during the last three decades, from 5.4
children per woman in the mid-1970s to 3.5 in 2004.
Furthermore, international migration and high mortality
rates have led to a decline in average household size from 5
members in 1996 to 4.4 in 2006. The net effect of these
changes in fertility, mortality and migration, is a slowing
down of population growth.
The preliminary results are available for total country,
urban/rural residence, districts and constituencies and by
sex. Overall, there are 911,847 males and 960,874 females,
23.7% of the population lives in urban areas, and there are
428,785 households (up from 370,972 in 1996, representing a
15.6% increase).
Apart from enumerating household population, enumeration
included populations at cattle posts, school and university
dormitories, military barracks, correctional institutions
and hospitals. When these special populations are included,
the Preliminary population figure rises marginally to
1,880,661. Detailed analysis of the census data will however
focus only on the household population, as data on all
attributes were collected only on this population. The
preliminary results can be accessed at
www.bos.gov.ls and
www.finance.gov.ls.
Office of the Principal Secretary
18 July 2007
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