Largest Number of People, 650,000, Took Part on First Day of Census

Largest Number of People, 650,000, Took Part on First Day of Census

Bratislava, April 6 (TASR) – The largest number of people – 651,152 – took part in the online stage of the national census on its very first day, February 15, Slovak Statistics Office representatives told a news conference on Tuesday dedicated to presenting the initial findings of the census.

Meanwhile, the lowest number of people – 42,418 – took part in the census on Friday, March 26. On its last day the census was completed by 108,356 people.

A total of 4,844,007 people took part in the first (online) stage of the national census, which was 86 percent of the Slovak population.

Statistics Office chairman Alexander Ballek praised the results of the first-ever online census to take place in Slovakia. “The results exceeded expectations,” he said, pointing to the fact that the estimated turnout was 70 percent. He highlighted the work done by local governments, media and all those who manage the census.

Ludmila Ivancikova, the head of the Statistics Office’s Social Statistics and Demography Section and professional census guarantor, said that the average daily turnout in the census was 95,000. “It dropped below 50,000 for one day only,” she added. Ivancikova thinks that a realistically set concept and outlines for an integrated census were behind the results, as well as a high level of help within families in which older members don’t have internet access.

More women than man took part in the census, with the ratio standing at 52:48. Residents of towns and cities were more active than the rural population (55:48).

Residents of Zilina region were the most active in the census with 92 percent of them taking part in it. The district of Namestovo (Zilina region) with a 95-percent turnout was the leader among districts. Concerning towns with a population above 50,000, the highest turnout was seen in Banska Bystrica (90 percent). Cadca (Zilina region) reported the highest turnover among towns with a population above 20,000 (90 percent) and Dolny Kubin (Zilina region) among towns with a population above 10,000 (92 percent).

The online part of the national census started on February 15. People had until March 31 to take part in it via a website or a mobile app. The census will continue with an assisted phase for digitally excluded people until October 31, 2021. The first full findings should be know by the end of this year.