Why does it generate controversy and political tension?

The stoppage of activities that began earlier this week promoted by civic organizations from Santa Cruz -with the support of the Government of that Bolivian department-, put on the agenda the debate on the postponement until 2024 of the registration for the Population Census and Housing.

The Luis Arce’s government stated in a statement that the postponement of the census registration, initially scheduled for 2022, “responds to a recommendation made by the National Council of Autonomies in order to carry out the necessary coordination with the Autonomous Municipal and Native Indigenous Peasant Governments”.

The text adds that the decision was supported by the High-Level International Commission, which accompanies the Bolivian census, and which includes the Latin American and Caribbean Demographic Center (CELADE), the Population Division of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean ( ECLAC), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the World Bank (WB).

The topic, which arouses interest, is generating reactions in the country. The position of the governor of Santa Cruz, Fernando Camacho, is to keep up the pressure until he has a response from the government of Luis Arce, who maintains that he is advancing in the cartographic update to ensure the success of the census.

“Until Thursday when the Institutional Commission meets again, if the government has not responded to be able to carry out the Census in the first half of 2023, the measures will be tightened based on the government’s indifference,” Camacho said. .

Initially, the Population and Housing Census was scheduled for November 16 of this year, but was later rescheduled for a date in May and June 2024, while a consensus has not been reached among all the authorities of the mayors of the main capitals.

For example, La Paz, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz de la Sierra and Potosí consider it feasible for the Census to take place in the second half of 2023, while Sucre, Oruro, Trinidad and El Alto are satisfied with the government’s decision. Cobija and Tarija prefer to wait for the elaboration of the cartography and do not refer to dates.

The Bolivian government plans to census 246,714 segments nationwide. Among the aspects that they seek to address are logistics, field operations, cartography, informatics, thematic, dissemination, coding, sampling framework, training, administration and the post-census stage, according to official information.

In this regard, the Vice Minister of Communication, Gabriela Alcón, said: “Since 2012 there has been no cartographic update, therefore it is important to have an update of the country, that route block by block.”

On the other hand, some organizations that support the central government also announced protests because they consider that they are seeking to destabilize the government of the president, Luis Arce.

While from Santa Cruz, civic representatives announced new measures that they hope will be supported in other regions of the country.

This Wednesday a meeting of mayors with President Luis Arce is scheduled.

What is this census looking for and why is it important?

This is the largest statistical operation that the country as a whole must face. It is the largest mobilization, because more than 200,000 people participate, from the enumerators to the dissemination of the results. This census seeks to generate information for the next 10 years, according to the government’s promotional campaign.

In Bolivia, it is expected that the Census, as occurs in other nations, will allow adjusting, defining, implementing and evaluating plans, programs, public policies and strategies for sustainable human, economic and social development at the national, departmental, sectoral, municipal and community levels. .

Its result is expected to reformulate -for example- the budget, depending on where there is a greater population. On the other hand, sy result influences the political system and the redistribution of resources that is linked to income.

In its Twitter account, the Bolivian National Institute of Statistics calls on Bolivians to “open the doors to updaters.”

How did Bolivia get to this census?

The population of Bolivia in the current year 2021, would be approaching 12 million inhabitants, according to official information. Of this figure, 8 million are concentrated in the three departments of the country’s central axis: Santa Cruz, La Paz and Cochabamba, according to projections made by the National Institute of Statistics (INE).

It is estimated that the country’s population would be approximately 11,842,000 inhabitants, of which 50.2% are men and 49.8% women, and by 2022, it would reach 12,006,031, based on projections. The average annual growth rate is 1.4 percent, that is, in relation to the year 2020, there are 164,549 more inhabitants.

It is not new that Santa Cruz remains the most populous department in the country, with 3,363,400 inhabitants, followed by La Paz with 3,023,800 and Cochabamba with 2,086,900.

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