Greetings from the Statistical Institute of Belize! I am Diana Castillo-Trejo, Acting Director-General.
On Saturday, October 15th, 2022, the SIB will join other national statistical offices across the region in observing the fourteenth anniversary of Caribbean Statistics Day under the theme ‘Leave No One Behind – Everyone Counts’. The main objective of this annual event is to highlight the continuous need for and importance of updated, timely and accurate statistics for informed decision-making. This year’s theme, in particular, underscores the importance of the Population and Housing Census, which aims to count every resident of Belize regardless of age, sex or nationality.
During this year, the SIB’s primary focus has been on the execution of the 2022 Population and Housing Census, which was originally scheduled for 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recruitment and training of over six hundred Census staff were carried out in the first quarter of the year, followed by the commencement of data collection in May. As a result of several challenges encountered since May, including staff retention and unfavourable weather conditions, data collection for the Census is still ongoing in the Belize, Cayo and Stann Creek districts and is expected to be fully completed by the end of November. If your household has not been visited yet, we urge you to contact the SIB, and we will be more than happy to arrange your interview. The data obtained from the Census will provide valuable information about the population with respect to housing conditions, employment, health, education and poverty, which will be used in planning for the next ten years.
In addition to the conduct of the Census, the Institute continued to publish data on the country’s economic conditions, including monthly statistics on merchandise trade, inflation and quarterly estimates for the gross domestic product. A Labour Force Survey is currently underway, which will provide key information about the country’s unemployment level. Over the next few weeks, the Institute will publish separate reports on Migration and Multidimensional Poverty in Belize using data from the September 2021 Labour Force Survey.
In the coming year, the SIB will be undertaking a Post Enumeration Survey to assess the quality of its Census data. Preliminary results of the Census will be released at the end of June 2023, followed by quarterly thematic reports from the Census. The Institute will also conduct two Labour Force Survey rounds during 2023.
Undoubtedly, the next year will be a very busy year for the SIB as we embark on new projects to provide our data users with timely and updated statistics. I take this opportunity to thank all our local and international partners in statistics for their invaluable support to the Institute in our various projects. A big thank you to all residents for participating in the Census and all our various other household surveys. Your participation is crucial to produce accurate statistics. We want to Leave No One Behind – Everyone Counts’.
Happy Statistics Day from all of us at the SIB. Thank you!
