The Central Bureau of Statistics
The Central Bureau of Statistics is the official institution responsible for collecting, analyzing and publishing statistical data in Sudan, and coordinating statistics production at the national level. It is the first national reference for population, economy and trade figures.
Its roots go back to 1903, when a small department was established in the Customs Authority to collect foreign trade statistics. It went through several transformations: in 1932 it was moved to the Economic Committee, in 1934 to the Economics and Trade Authority, then began as an independent statistics authority under the Ministry of Social Affairs in 1953, before moving to the Ministry of Economic Planning in 1969. In 1995 it became the "Central Bureau of Statistics" under the Ministry of Finance and National Economy, and currently reports to the Council of Ministers according to the latest available official data. The Bureau operates under the Statistics Act issued in 2004 and updated in 2016, giving it a legal framework for data collection, ensuring confidentiality and coordinating statistical work in the country.
Among its most prominent works are the population censuses: five censuses were conducted in Sudan in 1955/56, 1973, 1983 and 1993, then the fifth Population and Housing Census in April 2008, which showed the population reached 39.15 million, 79% in the North and 21% in the South before South Sudan's secession. Alongside censuses, the Bureau produces economic, health and environmental statistics, gender statistics, national accounts, foreign and domestic trade statistics, publishes the Annual Statistical Yearbook, and supervises statistical offices in the states.
(Sources: Central Bureau of Statistics official presentation at SESRIC; UN News — national statistical official interview; Sudan Tribune; IRIN/ReliefWeb — census reports; Wikipedia — "World Population and Housing Censuses")
— Editorial Team
