Statistics Sierra Leone has held public meetings in Bo, Makeni, Port Loko and Waterloo to encourage households to take part in the December 2026 National Population and Housing Census.
The Ministry of Planning and Economic Development and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) supported the meetings, which ran from 10 to 13 November.
Census Night is scheduled for 1 December, with census workers set to count households from 2 to 16 December. It will be Sierra Leone’s first fully digital census.
At the meetings, Statistics Sierra Leone explained how the count will work and how it will keep household information confidential. Planning Minister Kenyeh Barlay opened the meetings in Bo and said reliable population figures would help the government plan public services and decide where to allocate resources.
Local council officials also urged residents to take part. The campaign will reach all 16 districts in the coming weeks. Traditional leaders, youth groups and religious leaders will help spread the word through community meetings, local radio and places of worship.
