Ongoing Activities

In preparation for the Population and Housing Census, the SIB embarked on a national census mapping project, during the period July 2018 to December 2020. For the first time in Belize, satellite imagery and GIS techniques will be used to collect, process, produce and disseminate census data. This will assist SIB’s census staff in quickly and efficiently locating dwellings, businesses, and other buildings during the 2022 Census.

Our mapping teams concluded the last of the fieldwork at the end of December 2020. Presently, data collected by the SIB’s mapping teams are being processed in-office in preparation for the start of census data collection in May 2022.

A first test of the questionnaire was done in August 2019. This pilot helped us to assess whether the wording of questions was clear and easy for respondents to understand, and how long it takes to complete the interview for an average sized household. Another comprehensive test of the entire census process was done in December 2019, with technical support provided by the United Nations Population Fund during a one-week mission to Belize in October 2019.

A full pilot of the entire census process was conducted during the period December 2-14, 2019 in selected areas of the Orange Walk, Belize, and Toledo districts. Trained interviewers, under the supervision of SIB staff, visited households in these areas to conduct interviews during this two-week period. The pilot exercise involved a final test of the census questionnaire, as well as the various supporting IT applications and processes, including mapping, quality control, data processing, asset tracking, and payroll processing. The findings of the census pilot were used to make final adjustments and improvements to the Census 2022 questionnaire, processes, and IT applications in preparation for fieldwork in May.

The SIB is recruiting over 900 across Belize for the 2022 Population and Housing Census. Recruitment started on September 1st, 2021.