On March 27, 2025, a high-level delegation from the Republic of Tajikistan was on a study visit to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The delegation, composed of representatives of public authorities from Tajikistan, local working groups, civil society organisations and members of the International Organisation for Migration team from Tajikistan and the Republic of Moldova, was interested in learning from Moldova’s experience in the field of statistics.

The meeting provided an opportunity for an exchange of best practices on the organisation and conduct of population and housing censuses as well as the production of migration statistics. It also served as a platform for establishing cooperation relations in areas of common interest.

Mr. Oleg Cara, Director General of the NBS, welcomed the members of the Tajikistan delegation and emphasized the openness of the NBS o share its experience as the central authority and producer of statistics, including in the field of population and migration statistics.

The guests were introduced to the main aspects related to the organization and conduct of the 2024 Population and Housing Census (2024 PHC), including the methodology, the list of variables and census tools, the questionnaire content, the classification used, innovative approaches and modern methods of data collection using electronic devices, as well as measures for data security and the protection of personal data, etc.

The guests were also informed about the public meetings organized by the NBS with representatives of central and local public authorities, academia, civil society, ethno-cultural organizations, experts, development partners, etc. aimed at consulting the census questionnaires and exchanging views on the organization and conduct the 2024 PHC.

At the same time, NBS experts spoke about the challenges encountered during the implementation of this statistical important exercise, including communication issues and the reluctance of certain categories of the population to participate in the 2024 PHC.

Another topic of interest discussed referred to the national campaign to inform the population and raise awareness of the importance of the 2024 PHC, carried out by the NBS, with the support of national and international partners, which included a wide range of promotional channels, including: TV/radio, outdoor advertising, printed materials, public transport, social media, partnerships, etc.

The delegation from Tajikistan was also interested in the NBS experience in producing and disseminating statistical data on international migration, including cooperation with holders of administrative data sources. In this context, aspects related to the estimation of migration flows based on border crossings were presented, including the measures and challenges involved in the production and processing of these data, s well as the actions and challenges in producing and processing such data, and the calculation of a person’s status as emigrant or immigrant.

The representatives from Tajikistan expressed their gratitude to the entire NBS team for the warm welcome and for the willingness to share their valuable experience on conducting the PHC and producing migration statistics, which are essential for obtaining reliable statistics regarding the demographic and socio-economic structure of the population, as well as for the development of well-founded national and local public policies.