The objectives of the 1966 Fiji Population Census were:
- To find out as accurately as possible the number of people living in the Colony.
- To find out about the growth of population in towns and urban areas.
- To find out how many people move from their place of birth to other places in the Colony.
- To help in deciding which parts of the Colony have too many people living in them, and, therefore, to decide from which parts it is most necessary to help people move to live elsewhere.
- To make estimates of what size the population might be in ten or fifteen years' time.
- To find out where the largest number of children of school age, or those who will soon become of school age, live, so that the Government and the Missions know which areas most need schools.
- To help the Medical Department to decide which areas need greater medical and sanitary attention through having large numbers of people and young children living in them.
- To help the Government decide, by knowing the numbers of skilled and unskilled workers in various industries, what kinds of training facilities should be provided.
- To help people, who may be trying to establish some industry, to decide which are suitable areas in which to find labour.
- To find our what work people do and where they do it to help the Government draw up plans for future social and economic development.
The 1966 Fiji Population Census covered the following topics:
- Personal particulars of household members
- Education status
- Economic activities
- Number of livestock belonging to the household
- Collection start: 1966
- Collection end: 1966
