Population

The delegates noted that decisions made by countries in this region shape the future of its 4.7 billion individuals as well as future generations across the globe.

This important message was reiterated during the Seventh Asian and Pacific Population Conference, which reviewed the implementation of the Asian and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Population and Development (2013) and the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (1994).

Key points:

• Tracking births and deaths at the village-level in ward record books is seen as cheap and effective  
• Next year, Papua New Guinea is likely to hold its first national census in more than a decade  
• There are reports PNG's population is as high as 17 million, double the government's estimate

PNG was due for a census in 2021, but it was delayed by the pandemic and is unlikely to happen before 2024. In the meantime, locals have been devising a grassroots solution.  

“We really do not know how many people live in our country.

“We have estimates, but these are not accurate enough,” O’Neill said in Parliament on Tuesday during the first 10th Parliament sitting.

He said the Government needs to re-establish a National Data Collection Centre so that we can plan better and we can develop policies that better reflect the population distribution in our country.

“Accurate population data is key for proper public policy planning and monitoring. 

As vote counts trickled in from five state elections on Saturday, one result loomed large: that of central India's Uttar Pradesh, home to more than 200 million people. The staggered five-week vote in that state alone marks the biggest election in the world in 2017.

Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, or the BJP, looks poised to take about 75% of the 403 seats on offer in Uttar Pradesh.

This is according to Minister for National Planning and Monitoring, Charles Abel, when speaking to the media today.

According to the 2011 Census, the PNG population stood at 7.3 million people.

And with a population growth rate of 3.1 per cent, in the absence of a recent census, the population of the country could stand at over 8 million people.

According to data from the National Statistical Office (NSO), PNG’s population has risen by 40 per cent since the 2000 Census, at a growth rate of 3.1 per cent.

Bulolo MP and Deputy Opposition Leader Sam Basil, who has brought tangible developments to his district since entering Parliament said his worry is now to address the issue that he said would affect service delivery to his electorate.

The no nonsense MP indicated when visiting the Family Health Association’s stall at the 6th annual Bulolo District Show on Saturday.