The Population and Housing Census (census or PHC) aims to provide public information about the resident population (hereinafter referred to as “population”) and their housing in the country for the development, monitoring, and evaluation of state policies, for supporting human development decisions, and for scientific research.

The census aims to produce, in conditions of international comparability, official national statistics regarding: the number and territorial distribution of the population at the smallest territorial level; demographic structure and socio-economic characteristics; composition of households, living conditions, housing, and the buildings in which housing is located. Thus, in the 2024 PHC, individuals, households, dwellings, and the buildings housing them will be enumerated. These represent enumeration units as defined in Law No. 231/2022 on the Population and Housing Census.

The census serves as a basis for annual estimates of the country’s population and as a sampling frame for selective statistical surveys in households.

To achieve the objectives of the 2024 census, census variables were established. These represent the characteristics of the enumeration units (individual, household, dwelling, and building) and form the content of the census questionnaires. The variables to be collected in the 2024 PHC are in accordance with the recommendations of the Conference of European Statisticians for the 2020 round of Population and Housing Censuses and with Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/543 of 22 March 2017, establishing technical specifications for topics and breakdowns under Regulation (EC) No. 763/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council on population and housing censuses. In addition to international recommendations, the determination of variables considered several criteria, including: relevance of the variables, burden on the respondent and enumerator, clarity for respondents, efficiency and societal relevance, continuity with previous census data, and absence of other data sources for collecting census variables.

In this context, several rounds of consultations on census topics and variables were carried out:

• Roundtable discussions on 22–23 December 2022 with major data user groups (central public authorities and other public institutions; academia and civil society; development partners; local public administration authorities and other institutions/organizations) aimed at discussing the list of census variables and proposals for their adjustment or supplementation.
• Collection of proposals in February 2023 from central public authorities and other public institutions regarding census topics and variables.
• Review and approval of census topics and variables at the meeting of the National Commission for the Population and Housing Census (NCPHC) on 28 February 2023.
• Testing of topics and variables during the pilot census (28 August–10 October 2023).
• Review and approval of topics and variables based on the pilot census results at the NCPHC meeting on 21 November 2023.

Based on public consultations, decisions of the NCPHC, and pilot census results, the NBS developed the revised version of the census questionnaires, which include:

• Building questionnaire (1.1CL) – collects data about:
  • the building where the dwelling is located.
• Dwelling questionnaire (1.2CL) – collects data about:
  • the dwelling;
  • household members, including temporarily absent or present persons and non-residents.
• Household questionnaire (1.3CL) – collects data about:
  • the household;
  • agricultural activity of the household (where relevant).
• Collective living space questionnaire (2 SCL) – completed for each block within a collective living space (if the space has multiple blocks), including data about:
  • the building where the collective living space is located;
  • facilities of the collective living space;
  • persons living in the collective living space.

In collective living spaces where rooms are occupied by households/families (e.g., families of teachers, administrative staff, or married students), these rooms are considered dwellings and are recorded in questionnaire 1.2CL.

• Individual questionnaire (3P) – completed for each person listed as a household member in questionnaire 1.2CL, in the same order, through individual interviews. The first 3P questionnaire refers to the head of the household. In the absence of some household members, data are collected from an adult household member. Data for minors are provided by adults.

In this context, the NBS launches public consultations on the census questionnaires, requesting comments and suggestions, including on answer options for the census questions, by 31 January 2024, to moldstat@statistica.gov.md, with a copy to rpl2024@statistica.gov.md.

Census questionnaires can be accessed on the official NBS website under “Decision-Making Transparency” → “Public Consultations.”

Following public consultations, the census questionnaires will be finalized by the NBS and subsequently used for the 2024 PHC.

The development and testing of census questionnaires are carried out alongside other essential preparatory activities for the successful conduct of the census, with the participation of central and local public authorities and other entities, in accordance with Law No. 231/2022 on the Population and Housing Census and Government Decision No. 951 of 28.12.2022 on the organization and conduct of the 2024 Population and Housing Census in the Republic of Moldova.

For more details about the 2014 Population and Housing Census, access here.