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Census Act, 2002

An Act providing for the taking of population and housing censuses in Sierra Leone and the handling of census data.

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Summary

The Census Act, 2002 provides the legal basis for the conduct of population and housing censuses in Sierra Leone. It authorises the taking of a census, provides for its organisation and the appointment of census officers, and imposes duties on the public to answer census questions.

The Act protects the confidentiality of individual census returns and restricts their use to statistical purposes, while creating offences for refusal to cooperate, giving false information or breaching confidentiality. It underpins the reliable collection of demographic data for planning and policy.

Main provisions

  • Authorises the taking of population and housing censuses.
  • Provides for the organisation of a census and the appointment of census officers.
  • Imposes duties on the public to provide census information.
  • Protects the confidentiality of individual returns, limiting use to statistical purposes.
  • Creates offences for non-cooperation, false information or breach of confidentiality.