Thousands attended the ecumenical prayers led by Pope Francis and the two eminent faith leaders on Saturday. (Photo: Lou Nelson/Eye Radio).

The National Bureau of Statistics has called on the unity government to conduct a population census to enable the country to have an equal distribution of resources.

Biong Deng Kuol, the Deputy Chief of Dimorphic Statistics at the Bureau made the remarks on World Population Day.

Speaking on the Dawn show this morning, Biong Deng says the country needs proper data for the conduct of elections and also to know the employment rate in the country.

“The issue of the census should be taken seriously, we need data for the election and we do not have the right data now to use it for the election,” Deng said.

“We use it for planning so that we guarantee equal distribution of resources is in place. Also, we need to know the issue of employment.”

“We need to know the status of our country in terms of employment ratio although we know South Sudan is a young country which means the majority of the population or above 70% of the population are under 30 years.”

World Population Day is an annual event, observed on July 11 every year to raise awareness of global population issues.

The event was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989.

According to the United Nations, the current world population is at 8 billion people and it is expected to grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and 10.9 billion in 2100.

This dramatic growth has been driven largely by increasing numbers of people surviving to reproductive age and has been accompanied by major changes in fertility rates, increasing urbanization, and accelerating migration, the UN says.

The global theme for 2023 World Population Day is “Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls to unlock our world’s infinite possibilities.”