The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (STATEC) will be in charge of conducting the decennial census.
Every ten years, a thorough census of the Luxembourgish population is completed. On Monday, the 37th edition since the Grand Duchy’s independence officially began, which means that every household will have to fill out a respective set of forms. Luxembourg’s population is currently estimated to range near 634,700 people.
New about this year’s census is that the first phase will be conducted online. Via mail, the close to 280,000 households in the country will receive an access code, with which they can fill out a form on MyGuichet.
STATEC officials hope to have 30-40% of questionnaires filled out with this offer. People have two weeks (until 28 November) to access the online document. A similar offer already existed for the last census in 2011, but only 2% of the population made use of the online system.
Those who have not filled out the online form until 22 November will receive the same questionnaire in physical form. Municipalities have commissioned around 4,000 workers to help reach out to residents. The deadline for the physical form is 6 December. If people refuse to fill out the questionnaire, or are caught providing false information on purpose, they may face a fine of up to €2,500.
The census seeks to gather data on housing, employment, education, and families. The results will help determine necessary infrastructure projects. The numbers gained through the census will further have an impact on the upcoming municipal elections, as the number of local council members is always based on the number of people residing in a town.
The 2021 population census was initially scheduled to begin in February this year, but the endeavour was pushed back due to the pandemic. Costs for the census are estimated to be around €5.35 million.
For more information on the census in English, please follow this link.