St. Lucia records near 4% population decline

CMC – The St. Lucia population declined by nearly four per cent over the 2022 figure of 172,948, the Central Statistical Office (CSO) has announced as it released the first comprehensive report from the 2022 Population and Housing Census (PHC).

It said that the 2022 census marks a historic transition for the CSO, as it is the first in the region to utilise the Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) approach, replacing the traditional Paper Assisted Personal Interview (PAPI) method.

“This shift has enabled more efficient and accurate data collection, leveraging advanced technologies and methodologies as outlined in the UN ECLAC User Guide for Population and Housing Censuses—Rev 3,” the CSO said in a statement.

CSO Director, Sean Mathurin, said the provisional report “marks a milestone in our ongoing efforts to understand and analyse the social and economic and demographic dynamics of our nation.

“‘Provisional’ means that the department will continue to analyse the data with the hope to finalise data publication by the end of the year,” Mathurin said.

According to the CSO, the age dependency ratio has declined from 48.6 in 2010 to 44.5 in 2022, indicating reduced pressure on the working-age population.

Notably, while St. Lucia’s population increased from 166,526 in 2010 to 172,948 in 2022, the growth rate has declined from five per cent to 3.9 per cent with Mathurin explaining that while the island’s population is increasing, it is happening at a slower rate.

Mathurin highlighted several significant enhancements in this census report, including the addition of an infographics section, improved disaggregation of tables, enhanced analytical analysis of key findings, and the inclusion of several CARICOM-recommended tables.

He said the goal is to make the report available to the public as soon as possible, but according to some of the key findings from the 2022 National Population and Housing Census, St. Lucia recorded a decrease in average household size from 2.8 individuals in 2010 to 2.6 in 2022.

Additionally, the report cites a high prevalence of diabetes and hypertension in the Castries and Gros Islet regions.

“The Statistics Department would like to urge not just the policymakers but the general public to make use of that wealth of information considering the time and resources that went into the production and generation of that information,” he said.

This census report is the first release, with subsequent thematic publications to offer more detailed analyses and tables,’ the CSO added.

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