In a press conference, the Director of INEC, Samuel Moreno, invited the residents of the Isthmus to attend the XII. edition of the census and the VIII housing census, which take place between January 8th and March 4th, to provide the necessary information.
The survey, pending since 2020 due to the restrictions imposed by Covid-19, will for the first time have the open participation of foreigners permanently residing in the Channel Nation, which will allow their number to be known along with that of nationals, he said.
Moreno added that immigration status is not asked and that the information provided by foreigners is important because these citizens contribute to the economy, use public services and offer their labor.
He pointed out that through the national censuses they try to know how many citizens there are, how they live, where they are located, and to develop them there are nine thousand employees, seven thousand counters from them and two thousand overseers.
The sample, which will use modern technology, he said, will be monitored by observers from Chile, Peru, Brazil and Mexico, nations interested in the experiences of this type of study.
In an earlier statement, INEC stressed that the consultation, the official results of which will be announced in July this year, will focus on issues related to living conditions, ethnicity and access to services such as water.
The censuses last two months and not just one day like in Panama.
For the government of the Isthmian country, the aim of these processes is also to determine the number of people in the country, how they live and to have scientific data that support the design of public policies, programs and measures that enable quality improvement Lives of Panamanians and Foreigners.
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