## 10 Discussion  
Blockchain technology has been explored in the government sector for various use cases, but the enumeration process of population census has never been in the spotlight. In this study, a systematic literature review was performed on the existing systems for population censuses and identified quite a lot of limitations and drawbacks. There remains a noticeable lag in adopting technologies for the efficiency and security of extensive operations like census and enumeration processes. An opportunity exists for substantial improvements that can enhance the results, diminish political influences, and lower the overall financial resource burden of said processes. Countries around the world have the potential to implement more effective measures for data collection, data management, and enhancing the coverage of population census efforts. Public blockchain networks, like Ethereum, are often unsuitable for enterprise applications due to several factors. These  
Figure 10: Blockchain: (**a**) latency and (**b**) average chain size. include their limited throughput, transaction fees, inefficient consensus protocols, and an inability to store sensitive data securely [72]. In contrast, permissioned blockchain frameworks empower enterprises to establish private or consortium networks, fostering secure and trustless collaborations. The Hyperledger Fabric framework best suits this research and has a track record of identity management use cases. By leveraging blockchain technology in the census enumeration process, this research aimed to address missed population coverage and ethnic and racial discrimination and enhance data security, transparency, and efficiency. This research also highlighted the potential for blockchain technology to revolutionize traditional census processes, providing a more secure and robust data collection and management solution. However, implementing such a complex infrastructure requires careful planning, investment, and stakeholder cooperation to ensure its successful deployment and integration in the census enumeration process. Although collecting anonymized census data for research is tedious, the software feasibility test and blockchain network performance results arejuvenating and satisfactory upon completion. With the help of three NGOs and three volunteer surveys, we were able to conduct the successful execution of the prototype, the software, and the blockchain network. The proposed system was then evaluated at four stages, from architecture design and prototyping to software usability and blockchain performance. Validating the national population census results through a prototype faced challenges due to Bureau of Census's policy changes, notably the discontinuation of block-level data publication. Additional survey questions revealed significant undercounting, with evidence suggesting that up to 29% of the population in certain areas, including marginalized groups and non-ID card holders, were potentially missed using traditional methods. Extrapolating these findings suggests a considerable underrepresentation at a national level, possibly exceeding 10 million individuals, particularly in densely populated areas. This underscores the need for the Bureau of Census to revise its methodologies, ensuring more inclusive and accurate data collection strategies which accommodate diverse population segments and their unique circumstances. Pakistan's National Bureau of Census conducted its first digital census with the collaboration of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), which took care of the technological solutions behind the census [73; 74]. In general, NADRA issues computerized national identity cards to the citizens of Pakistan, manages sensitive information (i.e., thumbprints of the index finger and a thumb from both hands) in government databases, and safeguards national identities from theft. NADRA plays a crucial role in identity protection.