Accurate population-level information is critical for planning, implementing, and evaluating social and economic interventions. Adequate information on population size, age, and sex distribution helps design social interventions. Short- and long-term planning relies on accurate population-level information on trends and projections.

The lack of a complete and dynamic civil registration system in low-middle-income countries (LMICs) triggered alternative approaches to gathering population-level data. One such approach was to use a Demographic Surveillance System (DSS) or Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) that regularly updates population details by registering births, deaths, marriage, and migration by visiting every household in a designated geographic location.