USING THE CROWDING INDEX TO ESTIMATE THE POPULATION OF LOCALITIES: THE EXAMPLE OF KABBA

Abstract

The need to up-date population data using indirect method has continued to increase in Nigeria. This is because the 
country has not been able to conduct census regularly. Over the years, census has not only been fraught with several 
problems but also carried out infrequently. The poor nature of the population data generation has affected the 
socio-economic development planning in Nigeria. This study employed the crowding index method to estimate the 
population of Kabba town. Data for the study were collected through a survey method where four hundred and 
eleven copies of a questionnaire were administered randomly to 10% of the 4112 household heads in the town. The 
average number of people per house as crowding index was multiplied by the total number of houses in each quarter 
to arrive at an estimated total population of the town. The population of Kabba was estimated at 70,870. Hence, the 
technique is recommended for use in estimating the population of localities and small communities where 
population data are not only inadequate but is difficult to obtain.