Bulgaria’s census in 2021 to cost an estimated 38.2M leva
Bulgaria’s national census in 2021 will cost an estimated 38.2 million leva (about 19.5 million euro), it emerged as the National Assembly approved the second reading of the Population and Housing Census Act on February 21.
The census will be held between January 22 and February 15 2021, as part of a process of each European Union member state holding a census that year.
The census will be held in two stages, electronic from January 22 to 31, and domestic from 8am on February to 8pm on February 15.
Bulgaria’s most recent census was held in 2011.
In the 2019 census, January 22 will be the reference date, Sergei Tsvetarski, the head of the National Statistical Institute, told reporters in Parliament.
It will not be compulsory to answer questions about ethnicity, religion and health status and the questionnaire probably will have the option of stating “I do not want to indicate which ethnic/ religious group I belong to”.
As to gender, the only two possible answers will be male or female, Tsvetarski said, saying that this was in line with EU rules on the holding of a census.
Anyone refusing to provide data required by the law on the census will be subject to a fine of 160 leva.
The estimated cost of the census, 38 262 000 leva, includes provision for the development of a new electronic census platform.
(Photo: Marco Michelini/ freeimages.com)
