The Housing and Population Census is a research tool to provide demographic information and statistical data, which is base for the allocation of resources in a community and law enforcement.

A Census must follow national and international standards to make it official. This is a tool used by governments and international institutions to make public policies and project the population's needs. The main differences between a Census and any other private research are: 1) The Census is the main source of information to allocate public resources and 2) The Census does not have any private interest involved. It gives an accurate and objective view of the status of a community, country, or region 3) Data is collected directly from the homes in the district. There are no intermediaries, which reduces the risk of lacking information and multiples types of vices

The last official Census in Nosara was made in 2011, with a population of 4912 inhabitants. It had an increase of 71% compared to the Census in 2000. Then, in 2022 the Costa Rican Government ran another Census, but it did not collect enough information to have official numbers. For that reason, there are only estimations of the current population in the district (News article). After requesting more medical equipment for the local health center, the community understood that the allocation of public resources is based on the official number of the population living in Nosara and their official indicators, and not on the amount of taxes collected or the number of luxury projects. Because of the critical situation in urban planning, health, education, crime, environment, roads, emergency response, and public services (water & electricity), and the increasing amount of new homes in the district, we propose to run a new Census in 2024 in alliance with the National Institute of Statistics and Census instead of waiting until 2032 to have another Census by the Government.

According to the data and estimations provided by the Government, the average annual population growth in Nosara is 3x times the annual growth in the whole of Nicoya canton, and the average housing growth has been 11.35% annually over the last 24 years. This has a direct impact on the quality of life and the environment, considering the delicate balance with the Ostional Refugee and the low social indicators of Nosara, a rural community located 60 km away from the nearest city center with public services such as hospitals, universities or security forces (Nicoya). These are some examples of the benefits of a new Census:

1) Environment: the creation of sustainable developing plans considering the demographic variables and projections.

2) Water and electricity: accurate projection of the future demand of services to serve the population in five, ten, and twenty years ahead.

3) Roads: planning of maintenance and new roads according to the new population centers and the demand.

4) Education: more teachers, classrooms, and educational programs designed to match the population needs to reduce the social gaps and increase social mobility

5) Security: more police officers, security resources, and the presence of the law authorities to provide services and prevent crime.

6) Health: More doctors, medical equipment, nutrition programs, emergency response, and prevention.

7) Economy and Poverty: programs to face poverty and relative poverty, the creation of formal, direct, and permanent jobs, and better conditions to start a business.

Census information is useful for everyone. Students and teachers use it for academic work, non-profits for impact planning, and business owners & investors for business plans. Reliable data is key to measuring needs and solutions for every person and stakeholder related to Nosara.

The planning stage takes from July to October 2024. The execution of the Census with the interviews is projected for November 2024 and the data processing & reporting are planned for April 2025. The follow-up for the allocation of resources based on the Census results with public, private, and academic entities, will be between May 2025 and January 2026.

The estimated cost is $203,590 for this project including contingencies and it involves a team of 50 people working as interviewers, supervisors, logistics, and operations; supervised by national and local entities. Contact us to learn more information and how to support this initiative.