United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA): India’s Census Expertise Strengthening Caribbean Data Systems
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals | SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) | Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India (ORGI)
A specialized two-week training program titled “Enhancing Census Preparedness in the Caribbean” was successfully completed in India, marking a significant milestone in South-South cooperation. Statisticians and officials from Barbados, Belize, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago—along with representatives from the University of the West Indies—engaged in intensive capacity-building at the National Statistical Systems Training Academy (NSSTA) in Greater Noida. Developed by MoSPI in consultation with ORGI and UNFPA, the mission aimed to share India’s technical prowess in managing large-scale, tech-enabled census operations.
Modernizing the Census Lifecycle The curriculum provided a holistic view of the transition from traditional paper-based methods to digital-first approaches.
Technical Domains: Participants engaged with the full census lifecycle, including boundary delineation, household listing, GIS mapping, and real-time monitoring dashboards.
Observing Future Protocols: A core highlight was observing India’s preparations for its upcoming 2027 Population and Housing Census, specifically the rollout of digital enumeration tools and data processing pilots.
Agricultural Integration: The training extended beyond population data to include sampling techniques and methodologies used in the Indian Agricultural Census.
The Scale of Digital Transformation India’s statistical machinery manages the challenge of counting 1.4 billion people across diverse geographies. The delegation learned that India’s census is conducted in two phases within two 30-day periods, utilizing approximately three million teachers as digital enumerators. This model of rapid, large-scale data collection serves as a baseline for Caribbean National Statistical Offices seeking to modernize their systems ahead of their own upcoming census cycles.
What is “South-South Cooperation” in the context of statistical capacity building? South-South Cooperation is a framework for the exchange of resources, technology, and knowledge between developing countries in the Global South. In this context, it involves India—a leader in digital governance—sharing its field-tested methodologies for tech-enabled census operations with Caribbean nations. This allows these countries to adopt quality assurance processes and digital tools that are more relevant to their developmental contexts than traditional North-South assistance models.
Policy Relevance
This initiative positions India as a primary knowledge hub for global data governance and development planning.
Informing SDG Progress: Population censuses inform over 40% of Sustainable Development Indicators; thus, strengthening Caribbean data systems directly enhances their ability to measure and safeguard progress toward the 2030 Agenda.
Evidence-Based Governance: By adopting India’s digital methodologies, Caribbean nations can produce faster, more reliable disaggregated data, ensuring that development planning gives a voice to those “furthest left behind”.
Institutional Diplomacy: Beyond technical exchange, the mission serves as a tool for cultural and statistical diplomacy, cementing bonds between MoSPI and Caribbean National Statistical Offices to foster long-term collaborative research.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: How can MoSPI institutionalize this training model to create a permanent “Global South Statistical Hub” that provides year-round digital census support to small island developing states (SIDS)?
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