Population and Housing Census 2010

The 2010 Census is the 12th round of census conducted in the FSM, and the 3rd FSM-Wide census that the overall implementation is the responsibility of the NSO. The 2010 Census was a de-jure count, with the reference date of April 4, 2010.

The first systematically organized census was conducted in 1920 during the Japanese era and continued in 1925, 1930 and 1935.

The TTPI High Commissioner's Office took a TTPI-wide census in 1958. In 1967 the first census was conducted during the American trusteeship to enumerate the population as of a specific date (March 26, 1967), which was followed by the 1970 Decennial Census. In 1973, the TTPI administration collected another census after finding serious deficiencies in the 1970 Decennial Census. The 1980 Census was the second decennial Census. The reliability of the data of the 1980 Census was questioned particularly in the coverage of the population. However, these problems were mainly due to definition.

Independent Era - As a consequence another census was commissioned under the law enacted by the Congress of Micronesia, and was conducted with the assistance of the South Pacific Commission. This Census however turned into four individual censuses, conducted in each state at different points in time - 1985 (Pohnpei), 1986 (Kosrae), 1987 (Yap) and 1989 (Chuuk). These censuses are often referred to as the mid-decade censuses. Although the results of these censuses were very accurate, the fact that they were conducted at different points in time and asked differing questions presented a problem in comparing and aggregating the figures to a national count.

The 1994 Census was the first FSM census that the FSM Government is the primary implementer initiated, and then followed by the 2000 Census.