The next Bermuda Census starts May 2026; Minister says the success depends on Bermudians’ participation
It’s a question that has been thrown around for the last few years – what exactly has happened to our population since the 2016 census, and especially since the COVID-19 pandemic?
Today, Government confirmed that the next Census Day is Wednesday 20th of May, 2026, with the Census taking place from the following day through to the 31st of March 2027.
Participants are people living here at least six months immediately before or after Census Day, and include those normally resident but currently studying abroad.
Jason Hayward, Labour and Economy Minister, encouraged people to participate and provide data so Government is not flying blind.
“A national census is one of the most important exercises undertaken by any modern society”, Minister Hayward told the House of Assembly this morning.
“It identifies movements in our workforce, helps us to understand demographic trends, population growth and migration, and shifts in housing composition, and can highlight inequalities that may otherwise remain hidden.”
“Without accurate and complete data, we are essentially planning in the dark… the census is our opportunity to fill the gap, the gap between what we think and what we know, between perception and reality, between outdated data and the needs of today’s Bermuda.”
Minister Hayward stressed that the success of the census depends entirely on the participation of Bermuda’s people, and offered assurances that any information given is confidential and used in aggregate only for statistical purposes.
How many people have left Bermuda?
Potential changes to our population – particularly through emigration – has been a hot topic.
Back in March, the Chamber of Commerce used, quote, “imperfect indicators” such as BELCO electricity usage, retail sales volume and Skyport data to postulate at least a 10% decrease in our population since the 2016 census.
That would be more than 7,000 fewer residents than previous Government projections.
Although Government appeared somewhat dismissive of the Chamber’s data, Premier David Burt has conceded that present projections may not be dependable.
At the Budget Breakfast in May, the Premier told attendees, “…right now we only in the population estimates put out measure births and deaths. We know that is not an accurate measure of population…”
In the same month, Minister Jason Hayward also said he would like to see a census taken every five years rather than every ten, to provide “more timely and relevant information, which allows us to make better policy decisions.”
In June, Government released the results of a survey into emigration.
105 Bermudians who have left, as well as 416 resident Bermudians who were surveyed, cited cost of living, difficulty retiring and career opportunities as drivers towards emigration.
Responding to questions today from the OBA’s Dr Douglas De Couto, Minister Hayward confirmed that the census will survey current residents, not those who have left.
This led the Shadow Finance Minister to press further:
De Couto: “…would it be fair to conclude that this census will not provide us any information about how many Bermuda ans have emigrated?”
Hayward: “…his conclusion will be 100% incorrect, the census will collect immigration data. We will not be able to interview the individuals that left but… we will certainly get a better count of our population levels and have better understanding of those persons who have emigrated.”
De Couto: “Could the Minister please elaborate for this House how the census will help them understand why those people have emigrated?”
Hayward: “…the purpose of the census is not to get the qualitative reasons as to why persons have emigrated. The Ministry of Economy and Labor has already conducted a robust study to identify why persons have emigrated… If we need to get more robust information regarding that at a future date, we will reconduct that survey…”
The next Census starts in six months from today, on May 21st, 2026.
