CENSUSES
Censuses provide data which are comprehensive, reliable, summarised and comparable with other countries. A census is a very important and lasting activity covering a long-term process of data collection, processing and preparation of summary information.
Censuses have a long history. Clay tablets found in the ancient Babylon prove that the first population censuses were held at least 6000 years ago. Population accounting in China and Egypt dates back to the 3rd century B.C. The first population census in the Christian world was carried out 2 thousand years ago in the Kingdom of Judah.
The first data on the population in Lithuania were collected in the 13th century. Historic sources mention the first overall census of landowners (žemininkai) held in 1528. The first overall population census in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was held in 1790. In Independent Lithuania, the first population census was conducted on 17 September 1923.
During the Soviet period, all-union population censuses were conducted according to the programme and processing procedures prepared by the Central Statistical Board of the USSR in Moscow. Censuses were held in January, when migration of the population was the lowest, and they lasted for 8–10 days.
The Population and Housing Census was carried out for the first time after the restoration of Lithuania’s independence in April 2001. In the census, data as of 12 p.m. of 5 April 2001 were recorded. The next one is due 2011.
The Agricultural Census in Lithuania was conducted in June 2003. This was the second census in Independent Lithuania (the first one took place in 1930). The next one is due 2010.
Following the world practice, the frequency of overall censuses is no less than ten years. The terms, purposes and methodologies of censuses are based on the European Union legislation and recommendations of the United Nations. In Lithuania, a decision is made regarding the date, method and programme of a census.
Statistics Lithuania conducts two overall censuses: Population and Housing Census and Agricultural Census.
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Document updated: 2010 02 05
