Population and Housing Census 2016
Lesotho, 2016
Get MicrodataIdentification
LSO_2016_PHC_v01_M
Population and Housing Census 2016
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| Lesotho | LSO |
Population and Housing Census [hh/popcen]
Lesotho attained its independence in 1966 and has since then successfully conducted six modern population censuses, namely; 1966, 1976, 1986, 1996, 2006 and 2016. Consequently, following this programme, the next Population and Housing Census (PHC) shall be undertaken in 2026. All the censuses since 1966 were carried out by the Bureau of Statistics, under the mandate acquired from the Statistics Act of 1965 which was amended in 2001. The Statistics Act provided for a census to be undertaken every ten years and it defines the functions and powers of the agency designated to undertake the census. Furthermore, the Act provides for a Parliamentary Proclamation that spells out the census objectives and establishment of a number of committees to plan and conduct the census.
The goal of the 2016 Lesotho Population and Housing Census is to contribute to the general improvement of lives of the Lesotho nation through the provision of most up-to-date and reliable data for development planning, informed policy formulation, proper service delivery as well as monitoring and evaluation of population related programmes and projects.
The census is meant to provide information on the size, distribution and characteristics of a country's population. The census data are used for policy-making, planning and administration, as well as in management and evaluation of programs in education, labor force, family planning, housing, health, transportation and rural development. A basic administrative use is in the demarcation of constituencies and allocation of representation to governing bodies. The census is also an invaluable resource for research, providing data for scientific analysis of the composition and distribution of the population and for statistical models to forecast its future growth. The census provides business and industry with the basic data they need to appraise the demand for housing, schools, furnishings, food, clothing, recreational facilities, medical supplies and other goods and services.
Census/enumeration data [cen]
Household and individual
Version
v1.0. Edited Data
2016-09-29
Scope
The 2016 Population and Housing Census covered the following topics:
- Household Identification
- Demographics particulars of all persons
- Disability and albinism for all persons
- Education for persons aged 3 years and above
- Economic activity status for persons aged 10 years and above
- Fertility for women aged 12 to 50 years
- Deaths of household members in the past 5 years
- Housing characteristics and household possessions
Coverage
National coverage
The census covered all the de jure and de facto household members as well as members in the institutions (military barracks, prisons, convents, hostels, hospitals, and hotels) and cattle posts.
Producers and sponsors
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Bureau of Statistics | Ministry of Development Planning, Government of Lesotho |
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Government of Lesotho | Funder |
| United Nations Population Fund | Funder |
| United Nations International Children Emergency Fund | Funder |
| United Nations Development Programme | Funder |
| United States Agency for International Development | Funder |
| Integrated Public Use Microdata Series | Funder |
| United States Census Bureau | Funder |
Survey instrument
The 2016 Population and Housing Census (PHC) used two sets of questionnaires; for households and for institutions, and they were both published in Sesotho and English.
The Household questionnaire has seven sections, namely;
- Identification
- Demographics
- Disability and Albinism
- Education
- Economic activity status
- Fertility
- Deaths
- Housing characteristics and housing possessions.
The Institutional Questionnaire had only one section, which consisted of name and surname, sex, age, orphan hood status, highest educational level and employment status.
Data collection
| Start | End |
|---|---|
| 2016-04-10 | 2016-04-29 |
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Bureau of Statistics | Ministry of Development Planning |
Data processing
Data editing took place at a number of stages throughout the processing, including:
a) Office editing and coding
b) During data entry
c) Structure checking and completeness
d) Secondary editing
e) Structural checking of SPSS data files
Detailed documentation of the editing of data was based on the Edit Specifications.
Data Access
| Is signing of a confidentiality declaration required? | Confidentiality declaration text |
|---|---|
| yes | Confidentiality of respondents is guaranteed by Section 20, Subsection (1) to (4) of the National Statistics Act of [2001]. |
Use of a dataset must be acknowledged using a citation which would include:
- the identification of the Primary Investigator
- the title of the survey (including country, acronym, and year of implementation)
- the survey reference number
- the source and date of download.
Disclaimer and copyrights
The user of the data acknowledges that the original collector of the data, the authorized distributor of the data, and the relevant funding agency bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such uses.
(c) 2016, Lesotho Bureau of Statistics
Contacts
| Name | Affiliation | URL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lesotho Bureau of Statistics | Ministry of Development Planning | info@bos.gov.ls | www.bos.gov.ls |
Metadata production
DDI_LSO_2016_PHC_v01_M
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Bureau of Statistics | Ministry of Development Planning | Documentation of the study |
| Development Economics Data Group | The World Bank | Review of the Documentation |
2019-06-24
Metadata version
Version 01 (June 2019)