Kazakhstan to Begin National Census Next Week

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan will begin the national census on Sept. 1 – a process that will last through Oct. 30. The government reviewed the preparation for the census during their meeting on Tuesday. 

Photo credit: total.kz

“This event is of great social and economic importance. The results of the census will provide a wide range of indicators, the most accurate data, and the basis for analyzing the situation in the country, forecasting, and making appropriate decisions. Therefore, it is extremely important for every citizen of our country to participate in the census,” said Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin. He tasked government officials with working through all organizational and technical issues regarding the conduct of the census. 

This will be the third national census for Kazakhstan. The previous two were held in 1999 and 2009. 

It was initially scheduled to take place in October 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was postponed to next year. 

The online census on the specialized website sanaq.gov.kz will start on Sept. 1 and will last through Oct. 15, 2021. Access to the website will be provided round-the-clock, citizens, regardless of their location, will be able to independently fill out questionnaires for themselves and their family members.

The traditional census will be conducted from Oct. 1 to Oct. 30, 2021, in compliance with sanitary norms to cover those citizens who did not pass the online census. 

Interviewers will use tablets to minimize the impact of the human factor on data quality. 

What data will be collected?

Census questionnaires consist of 91 questions (69 questions and 22 qualifying sub-questions) asking about family members in a household,  living conditions, location of the respondent, disability, the impact of the pandemic on income levels, among other questions. 

Census questionnaires also include questions on respondent’s plans to leave Kazakhstan, marital status, employment,  level of language proficiency, and religion.

The results of the census will be used as the basis for estimating the demographics of the population as well as demographic and socio-economic indicators. They will also be used in economic forecasting, determining employment policy, and developing social programs.

Costs 

The use of digital technologies will help decrease the costs 2.6 times over compared to the 2009 census, according to the Bureau of National Statistics.

Kazakhstan allocated 9.1 billion tenge (US$21.4 million) from the budget in 2018-2023 to conduct the census, including 4.7 billion tenge (US$11 million) to pay salaries to the staff involved in the census effort. Nearly 32,000 people have been hired to help with the effort. 


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