In Benin, the collection of new socio-demographic data will soon begin. The National Committee and the three sub-committees installed in their functions in Cotonou on March 14, will conduct the fifth General Population and Housing Census (RGPH 5).
The operation consists of collecting information on every inhabitant throughout the national territory. The data to be collected will enable leaders to plan Benin’s socio-economic and community infrastructure needs while taking into account the size, structure, dynamics and development prospects of the population.
The latest General Population and Housing Census (RGPH 4) dates back to 2013. The results made available in 2016 indicate that from 2002 to 2013, the population of Benin increased from 6,769,914 inhabitants to 10,008,749. The number of women in Benin was 5,120,929, or 51.2% of the total population.
This same census also revealed that the annual growth rate in Benin was 3.5%.
With the new census, the process of which has just been initiated, the country will have up-to-date and therefore reliable data.
In June 2022, a decree issued by President Patrice Talon defines the composition and powers of the national committee in charge of the operation. The document also provides for three sub-committees involved in the Fifth General Census of Population and Housing. Their role is to work for the success of the operation.