KATHMANDU: Data collection of the National Census 2021 was completed on Thursday.

The fieldwork of the national census that began on November 11 has been completed, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). With this, the next step — data processing — would begin, said CBS Director General Nebin Lal Shrestha, adding that country’s population was likely to reach 30 million. The preliminary result of the census would be announced after three months. However, the final result would be made public after a year, he added.

Shrestha thanked the enumerators, supervisors, and respondents for making the mega campaign of enumeration successful. The CBS also extended thanks to all others contributing to the census. The national census was conducted after five months late than the scheduled date because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a press release distributed after the press conference on Friday, CBS said, “We learned many things while conducting census this time. It will help us enrich future censuses and surveys.” It was further informed that use of digital technology, mobilization of more qualified enumerators, involvement of local unemployed youths, basic data collection up to ward level from community questionnaire were some features.

However, the census would be held in the disputed area via diplomatic initiative, CBS stated. The enumerators also shared the experience of hardship while collecting data. The census was affected for some time as some ethnicities like ‘kayat’ of Dhorpatan Municipality-9 in Baglung denied sharing information. After holding a discussion, the community resolved the problem and resumed the census.

Similarly, lack of roadway from the Nepali side to reach Chhanru and Tinkar of Byas Rural Municipality-1 in Darchula district forced enumerators to opt for the Indian route to reach there. But, permission to reach there via the Indian side was denied by the Indian government, which affected the data collection.

The census is held every 10 years in Nepal. The first census was held 109 years back (in 1968BS) during the premiership of Chandra Shumsher Rana. The census is evolving in a scientific manner since then. The last census taken 10 years back had put the Nepali population at 26.5 million. There were 80 questions in the census this time. As many as 40,000 enumerators and 8,500 supervisors were mobilized in this census.