Government to preparing to conduct 2026 Living Conditions Survey

The Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, through the Statistical Office, is preparing to conduct the 2026 Survey of Living Conditions and the Household Budgetary Survey.

A release from the Economic Planning Division in the Ministry of Finance says the survey will provide updated information on the living conditions and spending patterns of households across the country.

During the exercise, critical data will be collected, and will be used to measure poverty, inequality, household consumption, and other key socio-economic indicators.

The information gathered will support evidence-based policymaking, national development planning, and the monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals

The last Survey of Living Conditions and Household Budgetary Survey in St. Vincent and the Grenadines was conducted in 2018.

The 2026 survey is expected to provide valuable insights into how living conditions have changed over time and will help inform policies and programmes aimed at improving the well-being of Vincentians.

As part of the preparations for the survey, the Statistical Office will conduct a training exercise for Enumerators from August 31^st – September 4^th, 2026.

The training will equip Enumerators with the knowledge and skills required for data collection and survey implementation and will provide an opportunity to test survey procedures, questionnaires, and field operations ahead of the full-scale survey.

The Statistical Office, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning will lead the implementation of the survey, overseeing all aspects of preparation, data collection, analysis, and dissemination. Key outputs will include a Survey of Living Conditions and Household Budgetary Survey Report.

Enumerators and supervisors are expected to go into the field from September 14^th, 2026 and the Statistical Office encourages the full cooperation of all selected households. All information collected will be kept strictly confidential and used only for statistical purposes in accordance with the Statistics Act.