Census 1985

For various specific and practical reasons the Government of Sierra Leone decided to take a De Facto Census of Population and  Housing in December 1985. The last Census of Population in Sierra Leone was conducted in December 1974 and its data had now become out-of-date for realistic planning and effective administration. The 1985 Population Census was the third complete count of the Population conducted in Sierra Leone. The first was in 1963 and the second in 1974.

 
Prior to 1985 however a number of "Censuses" has been conducted in the country, employing various methods. The earlier of such "Censuses" is believed to have been conducted in 1802 in what is now part of the Western area. In 1901, the whole country was covered for the first time, although the methods used in the provincial areas were different from what had become the standard practice in the Western Area.  Similar "Censuses" followed in 1911, 1921, 1931 and in 1948, when the last of these "Censuses" was conducted........See detailed report below>>>