Bishkek, 3rd national census underway

Between 5 and 6 million inhabitants involved.  Data collection also for revision of real estate.  28 thousand people hired to process statistics. At the end of April the second phase begins: it will involve villages and peripheral areas. The country wants to modernize.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - In Kyrgyzstan, the third population census since independence, obtained 30 years ago after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, is underway. The verification takes place every ten years, and the previous ones took place in 1999 and 2009. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, however, it was postponed by two years, and now, together with the statistics on citizens, whose number ranges between five and six million people, the cadastre of real estate and land properties will be reviewed.

The deputy chairman of the National Statistical Committee, Zaynidin Zumaliev, explained in an interview with Azattyk the purpose of the procedure, which officially started on March 25. Twenty-eight thousand people participate, temporarily hired in all local administrative structures. Previous censuses were conducted with manually filled forms, while the current one will be entirely electronic, through special smartphone applications with special Qr-Codes.

The revision of the cadastre does not require the submission of property documents, but only the description of apartments and spaces, the availability of cold and hot running water, sewerage, the use of home computers and other similar parameters. As Žumaliev explains, "the population lives with us in very different ways, some depend on the earnings of members working abroad, and then more in-depth questions are asked." There are five different modules, with 45 basic questions, on the answer of which other questions may depend. If one claims to have worked in Russia, they are asked why they returned, and simply answer "I didn't like it," or "I stopped working."

If it is not clear where the livelihood is taken from, it is sufficient to answer that you are a "private entrepreneur". If the extent of earnings and assets is not made clear, the origin of the funds will be clarified. This is "because this is private information.

The entire census should be completed in early April, after which an in-depth analysis of the data collected will be carried out. At the end of the month, a second phase will begin, which will take place in the most peripheral areas of the country and in villages, often located in territories with difficult access and roads that are not always passable, depending on weather conditions.

Finally, information will be arranged by categories: men/women, children/adults, workers/unemployed, and so on, to be processed by other specialists hired for this task. A guarantee is given that personal data will not be disseminated, according to Kyrgyz laws. The importance of the census for the life and economy of Kyrgyzstan, as Žumaliev points out, depends on the fact that "only by knowing the actual number of those living on certain territories will it be possible for each region to plan the construction of schools, hospitals and other social goals".

Kyrgyzstan wants to put itself on a par with many other countries, and show that even in the post-Soviet republics of Central Asia it is possible to live in conditions of civilization and progress, overcoming the old prejudices and the resistance of part of the population.