Windhoek: The Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) on Wednesday released the 2023 Population and Housing Census Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS). This release aims to facilitate detailed analyses of demographic and socio-economic trends by researchers, policymakers, data journalists, and urban planners, using anonymised individual and household-level census data.
According to Namibia Press Agency, the PUMS represents a statistically representative sample covering about 20% of records from the overall census. This sample allows users to examine relationships between variables that cannot be captured through summary statistics. The NSA emphasized that while summary reports provide an overview of key findings, microdata enables deeper policy analysis. The dataset allows independent researchers to develop customized analytical models and generate more detailed insights into housing, population, labour, and demographic trends.
The release of this data was conducted in accordance with the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses, Revision 4, and the Statistics Act No. 9 of 2011. To protect respondent privacy and confidentiality, strict disclosure control measures were applied to the dataset. The PUMS contains individual and housing unit records, and rigorous disclosure control protocols have been implemented to safeguard privacy. All direct personal identifiers, including names, addresses, and administrative geographic identifiers such as enumeration areas, have been removed. Additionally, variables containing extreme numerical values have been top-coded to minimize the possibility of identifying respondents.
The agency reiterated that Section 44(2) of the Statistics Act prohibits the publication or dissemination of information obtained under the Act in a manner that allows a specific individual, household, undertaking, or organization to be identified without their written consent. Users interested in accessing the dataset and accompanying technical documentation are required to register on the NSA website.