The Taliban Prime Minister office has announced that a cabinet meeting was held on Monday to review a proposed national population census and assess key economic, social, and cultural issues.

According to an official statement, the 20th cabinet meeting took place on 5 May under the leadership of Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the Taliban’s acting Prime Minister. The primary focus of the session was the draft plan for a nationwide population census.

The Taliban’s National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) was instructed to evaluate the proposal and present a final report at the next cabinet meeting. A committee, chaired by Abdul Qadeer, head of the NSIA, has been tasked with reviewing the census plan in detail and preparing recommendations.

Since assuming power in August 2021, the Taliban has reiterated its intention to conduct a comprehensive national census. Accurate data on Afghanistan’s population particularly by ethnic and social groups remains unavailable. Estimates from the previous government placed the population at approximately 33 million.

However, in August of last year, the Taliban’s Statistics Authority revised this figure, estimating the country’s population at 35.7 million.