On Saturday, March 9, fieldwork for the 2024 Population and Housing Census will begin. The statistical operation will reveal how many of us there are and how and where we live. More than 32,000 people will assist in this process, including approximately 24,000 census enumerators.

The announcement was made at a press conference by the national director of INE, Ricardo Vicuña, who was accompanied by the minister of economy, development, and tourism and president of the National Census Commission, Nicolás Grau, and by the head of the census project, Macarena Alvarado.

“The starting date of the 2024 Population and Housing Census is Saturday, March 9. On that day, 24,500 census enumerators will be deployed throughout the country”, said INE's national director, Ricardo Vicuña.

The leader of the National Statistics Institute noted that “in addition to the enumeration of all residents of private homes, two special operations will be conducted. The first consists of an enumeration of all who reside in collective housing, such as hospitals, prisons, homes for the elderly, homes for minors, and housing for the armed forces. The second operation will enumerate homeless people living in the streets. Both of these special operations will also be conducted between March and June”.

The largest statistical operation in the country

Minister Nicolás Grau, in his capacity as president of the National Census Commission, emphasized the role of the state in supporting the census operation. “Our census is the largest statistical operation in the country. It is important for a very broad range of public policies and for our entire statistical architecture. For example, the census provides us with essential information for building the sampling frame of the Casen survey”.

Minister Grau added that “the census requires the commitment of not only the whole country and its citizenry but also the entire state for its proper execution, and this commitment will ensure that the census is enumerated correctly for its future use in all public policies carried out by our National Statistics Institute”.

As part of the census, the Chilean Air Force will fly to Chilean bases in Antarctica to enumerate residents while the Army will provide logistical support for a mission to the commune of Timaukel.

How to prepare for the interview with the census enumerator

Macarena Alvarado, Head of the Census Project, said that the invitation is to open the door, participate, and provide information about all the habitual residents who live in the home that the census enumerator is visiting.

“Anyone who habitually resides in the home being visited can answer the census questionnaire, but they must be aged 18 years or over, they must know the information about the rest of the people residing in the home, and they must be a habitual resident, that is, they must have lived most of the previous twelve months in the home or they must intend to live there for at least six months. The last suggestion, which is very important, is to prepare for the enumerator’s visit. We invite you to review the census questionnaire and gather information about the habitual residents of your home”, explained the head of the census operation.

All the information on this statistical operation can be found at www.censo2024.cl (in Spanish) or by calling the Fono Censo (census phone) at 1525.