2021 Romanian census

The 2021 Romanian census (Romanian: Recesământul Populației și Locuințelor 2021 (RPL2021)) was a census held in Romania between 1 February and 31 July 2022,^[6] with the reference day for the census data set at 1 December 2021.^[7] The census was supposed to be done in 2021, but it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Romania in order to avoid census takers from getting infected when coming into contact with ill or quarantined people. It was the first census held in Romania in which data was collected online, something that had support among Romanian youth.^[8]

2021 Romanian census (RPL2021)
← 2011 1 December 2021 (reference day) 1 February – 31 July 2022[a]
General information
Country	Romania
Trial census	1 February – 31 March 2021[3][4]
Authority	INS[b]
Website	recensamantromania.ro
Results
Total population	19,053,815[5] ( 5.31%)
Most populous ​county	Bucharest (1,716,961)
Least populous ​county	Tulcea (193,355)

The census was divided into three phases: one in which personal data of the Romanian population was collected from various sites; another in which the population was to complete more precise data such as religion, in which town halls would help the natives of rural areas to answer the census; and a third one in which census takers would go to the homes and households of those who did not register their data online.^[8]

Data for this census was planned not to be collected on paper, but instead with tablets so as to maintain social distancing between citizens. The entire data collection process was also relatively long, spanning about 6 months. People who did not provide data by themselves in the early stages of the census were not fined, but those who refused to give or gave false information could be fined between 1,000 and 3,000 Romanian lei.^[9]

On 1 August 2022, it was officially announced by the National Institute of Statistics (INS) that as many as 18.15 million Romanian citizens were registered at the RPL2021.^[10][11] Subsequently, the head of the INS announced the first data of the RPL2021 on 5 August 2022, stating that Romania had c. 19 million inhabitants.^[12]

The final results regarding demographic characteristics of the RPL2021, published on 31 May 2023, showed a resident population in Romania of 19,053,815 people.^[5]

See also

• Demographics of Romania

Notes

1. The census was held in three stages: 1 February – 13 March 2022, the National Institute of Statistics obtains data from administration sources for the census database; 14 March – 27 May 2022, self-assessed CAWI surveying; 31 May – 31 July 2022, face-to-face tablet assisted interviews surveying the remaining people who had not filled out online questionnaires.^[1][2]
2. National Institute of Statistics (Romanian: Insitutul Național de Statistică).

References

1. Andrei Chirileasa (2 August 2022). "Population census in RO ends with an estimated registration rate of 95.4%". romania-insider.com.
2. "Hotărârea nr. 1 din 4 noiembrie 2020 a Comisiei Centrale pentru Recensământul Populației și Locuințelor" [Decision No. 1 of 4 November 2020 of the Central Commission for the Population and Housing Census] (PDF). National Institute of Statistics (in Romanian). 4 November 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
3. Gavril, Ionela (1 February 2022). Cristea, Irina Andreea; Preda, Andreea (eds.). "Calendarul Recensământului populației României 2021" [The calendar of the 2022 Romania's population census]. AGERPRES (in Romanian). Retrieved 28 April 2022.
4. "Recensământul populației și locuințelor 2021 se va desfășura în perioada 1 februarie - 17 iulie 2022". Economica.net (in Romanian). 20 January 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
5. "Primele rezultate definitive ale Recensământului Populației și Locuințelor runda 2021" (in Romanian). INSSE. 31 May 2023.
6. Bonea, Monica, ed. (1 February 2022). "Calendarul recensământului din România, care începe astăzi. Este primul care va avea loc doar online" [The calendar of the survey from Romania, that begins today. It is the first that will take place online only]. Digi24 (in Romanian).
7. "Population and housing census, 2021 - provisional results". insse.ro. 30 December 2022.
8. Marina, Georgiana, ed. (6 January 2021). "Recensământul populației nu va mai avea loc în 2021. A fost amânat pentru 2022, iar datele vor fi colectate și online" [The population census will no longer take place in 2021. It was postponed for 2022, and the data will be collected even online]. Digi24 (in Romanian).
9. "Recensământul locuințelor și al populației (ediția 2022) în 8 întrebări și răspunsuri" [The housing and population survey (2022 edition) in 8 questions and answers]. HotNews (in Romanian). 20 January 2021.
10. Alina Popescu (1 August 2022). "Recenzarea s-a încheiat. Peste 18 milioane de români s-au înregistrat până la finalul zilei de 31 iulie". Digi24.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 2 August 2022.
11. "Census 2021: As many as 18.15 million people have been recorded by July 31". Nine O'clock News. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
12. Alexandra Andronie (5 August 2022). "Șeful INS a anunțat primele date ale Recensământului 2022: România are 19 milioane de locuitori, cu un milion mai puțin față de 2011". Digi24.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 5 August 2022.