The National Statistics Office (NSO) is planning to hold the 18th national census since 1842 in October and November this year, 10 years after the last one, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana said.
It will be compiling data through questions that will be sent to residents in Malta and Gozo. It takes into account the demographic level of Malta and Gozo and will cost around €3 million.
The 2021 census is going by the name ‘Kulħadd Jgħodd’ (Everybody Counts).
The census will be conducted by more than 1,200 people employed with the NSO. It will take place between October and November. The mailing of census letters to over 220,000 dwellings will be made during the first week of October; there will be a freephone service from 1 October to 30 November, online form from 1 October to 31 October, and enumerator assistance and canvassing between 8 November until 28 November.
To be eligible, one needs to either have lived in Malta for more than 12 months or has the intention to spend at least 12 months in Malta.
A more modernized approached towards this year’s census will be taken so as to diversify the ways in which people can answer.
The census will tackle topics at individual level – such as demographics and statistics, nationality, race and religion, health, education, and labour and economic status – as well as dwelling level – such as building structure, tenure status, facilities, secondary dwellings, and vacant dwellings.
The reporting timelines will be as follows: March 2022 will see the preliminary population count, April 2022 a preliminary report will be compiled, from July to September 2022 there will be a post-enumeration process, November 2022 a final population count will take place, December 2022 will see the first data transmission to Eurostat, January to December 2023 publication of thematic reports and March 2023 final data transmission to Eurostat.
The Minister also announced that a new type of census is also being discussed and formalized. “This year, I was discussing – together with the NSO – an exercise which I believe needs to take place. This would be the first time to do it so that employment stays strong and to increase participation.”
The minister said that after the census of homes finishes, this exercise regarding people’s skills registrar will take place.
“This is important in light of what the EU is trying to reach in 2030, regarding skills, so that our country continues to create work; we need to know what skills our country has,” he said.
Responding to a question asked by this newsroom regarding what skillsets the data would look into, the Minister said that it would regard skills such as university qualifications and what degrees certain people have obtained, among other things.
“We all know that we need to have sustainable politics, we need to have data. The time where we invest without data has finished,” he said.