Population and Housing Census began in Lithuania on 1 March.  Lithuania’s dwellers will be able to complete their forms on line (esurasymas.lt) for coming two weeks; until 14 March.  The President Dalia Grybauskaite, who is celebrating her birthday today, has been the first person to submit the internet form.

“For a long time, we haven’t had information on how many of us are here, who we are, what our education is, what we do. And this information is necessary for us to learn so many things about us and help us. That is to know what groups of people and what kind of help they need, what kind of education we have and whether we need people in one or the other,” Lithuania’s Public Broadcaster TV quoted the president saying to journalists after completing her form.

“This is the message every person and state need for the state itself and people themselves to know what they should do tomorrow and how the state should be developing,” Grybauskaite said.   

Those who had not completed their forms on line will be asked to do so with help of special agents during the general census on 5 April to 9 May.  Some 5.899 agents are expected to visit homes with forms that contain 29 questions, including; the date of birth, marital status, citizenship, nationality, address, education, employment, size of salary, the housing and the year it was built etc.

The census is aimed at determining the distribution of population in cities and provinces, municipalities and counties, as well as establishing the demographic, social and economic composition, the scope of migration and the quality of housing.  The preliminary data is to be announced in September, the Statistics Lithuania said.

The last Population Census was conducted in 2001.