TIRANA, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Albania has officially kicked off its 12th population census after two years' delay.
Elsa Dhuli, director of the National Institute of Statistics (INSTAT), on Monday called on the country's citizens to actively participate in the census, saying it is a public good in their interest.
The census will last six weeks, she said, adding that the law stipulates penalties for individuals who refuse to answer the questionnaire.
"All over the territory of the Republic of Albania, INSTAT employees, surveyors, controllers and supervisors have gone out in the field to count the resident population in Albania and their housing conditions," Dhuli said. "So far, about 1,500 interviews have been conducted and 800 questionnaires completed."
The questionnaire has eight modules with approximately 100 questions, of which only three are optional and relate to ethnicity, religion and language.
This year's census covers various aspects, such as social, economic and demographic shifts. It will provide clear insights into the living conditions of Albania's citizens in 2023. The first results from the census will be published in June 2024.
This census, the 12th in the country's history, was initially planned for 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was rescheduled for 2023. The previous census took place in 2011. ■