Prime Minister Gaston Browne is urging all residents of Antigua and Barbuda to participate in the upcoming 2025 Population and Housing Census, regardless of their citizenship or immigration status.
Speaking at the official launch of the Census and the National Bureau of Statistics (formerly Statistics Division) on Monday, the Prime Minister stated that all data collected will remain confidential and will not be used for immigration enforcement.
“It doesn’t matter your status in the country provided you’re here, you are to be counted,” Browne said. “My administration doesn’t have a history of deporting people [simply] for being illegal, so you need not worry.”
Governor General Sir Rodney Williams underscored the importance of the census for small island states, describing it as “more than just counting people”.
“A census is a powerful tool that provides critical data on the population’s composition, distribution and living conditions,” Sir Rodney said.
“For small island developing states like ours, such information is not merely useful, it is essential for effective decision making and for sustainable development.”
The Prime Minister announced that Census Day will be June 25, 2025, and described participation as a civic duty essential for national planning and development.
“If we do not know the size of our population and the various demographic data associated with our population, then we cannot plan properly,” he said.
This year, the 2025 Census will be conducted using computer tablets instead of paper questionnaires.
Deputy Census Officer Tracelyn Joseph explained that this technological advancement will improve both efficiency and accuracy.
“By using this technology, it allows for enhanced quality and accurate data collection, which will significantly speed up the data processing and analysis,” Joseph said.
Joseph outlined six key reasons why the census is important: supporting student and academic research, informing government planning for schools and healthcare, creating temporary jobs, guiding policy decisions, helping businesses determine where to invest, and tracking population growth across different geographical locations.
Chief Statistician and Census Officer Statchel Edwards detailed the transition of the Statistics Division to the National Bureau of Statistics, which will be implemented in two phases.
The first phase will establish the legal and procedural framework before Census 2025, while the second phase will focus on expanding the national statistical system after the Census is completed.
“The transformation is essential to ensuring a more autonomous, efficient, and responsive institution that meets the growing demand for high-quality data,” Edwards said.
The ceremony also featured the presentation of the census slogan winner.
Ten-year-old Asahi Joseph of Villa Primary School received a tablet and $500 for his winning entry: “2025 Census: Mapping the Present, Shaping the Future.”
The slogan was selected from 249 entries submitted by students across Antigua and Barbuda.
Meanwhile, over 500 field staff will be recruited and trained on census concepts, definitions, and methodology before data collection begins later this year.
The Census, originally scheduled for 2021 but was delayed due to COVID-19 and other issues, will provide comprehensive data on the nation’s population and living conditions to inform decisions on healthcare, education, infrastructure, and social services.
