Census 2022 in Argentina: when is it, what is it for and what do I need to fill it out

Census takers will be identified by clothing and document.

(Credit: Government of Argentina)

(CNN Spanish) --

In Argentina, the census process is already underway, which for the first time combines two modalities: a digital questionnaire that has been enabled since mid-March and a day of face-to-face interviews, set for May 18, in which the census takers will visit all the homes in the country.

The census, which the UN recommends doing every 10 years, allows for a simultaneous count of people, households and dwellings in the country at a given time.

On this occasion, according to official data, more than 45 million inhabitants and more than 15 million homes will be registered.

The census seeks to cover all inhabitants, whether or not they have an identity document.

Some 600,000 people work throughout the process.

In this edition of the census, you can choose to answer the 61 questions through a digital form that has been enabled since March 16 or when the census takers come to your house this Wednesday, May 18, which is declared a national holiday.

If you have already filled out the digital form, the census takers will ask you for proof that you have completed the process.

And, if you did not do it, they will do the face-to-face interview to collect the necessary data.

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• Digital Census 2022 in Argentina: how to access the online form and fill it out step by step

the day of the census

Remember that answering the census questions is mandatory according to the regulations.

The Day of the Census is declared a holiday to avoid travel and so that you can be at home when they go to census you starting at 08:00 am local time.

Therefore, according to official recommendations, if you are going to leave your house at any time, you should make sure that someone who can answer the questions stays.

Another important point is that it is not necessary for the census taker —who will be identified through clothing and a document— to enter your house: you can answer from the door, window or electric intercom if you prefer.

What do you need to fill out the digital census in Argentina

If you want to fill out the digital form, you need to access census.gob.ar from a device with internet access that can be a phone, tablet or computer.

There you will find the census and a step-by-step guide on how to complete it, as well as answers to the most frequent questions that may arise during the process.

Filling out the form takes about 20 minutes if it is a single-person household, that is, in which only you live.

In the event that your household is made up of more people, the authorities recommend calculating about 12 extra minutes to fill in the data for each one.

It is key that you have clear information about the people who make up your household if you are the one who will fill out the form.

Once you have filled out the census and finished the process, they will send you a receipt to your email.

That is the one you will have to give the census taker when he visits your home.

The deadline to fill out this form is May 18 at 08:00 am local time.

The digital census can be especially useful if you are going to be traveling on May 18.

In that case, fill out the form and leave the receipt for a neighbor to give to the census taker.

• What happens if you don't do or are at home during the 2022 Census in Argentina?

  Do they charge you a fine?

What is the census information for?

The census information allows knowing the characteristics of the population, for example from the demographic and socioeconomic point of view, and obtaining details about the conditions in which all Argentines live.

The results are useful for determining the needs of the population and designing public policies in areas as diverse as health, education and housing, among others.

In practical terms, for example, the census makes it possible to identify whether, based on the population in a place, more schools or health centers are needed.

Not only the State uses census data: companies and academic studies take this reliable information to investigate and develop their own projects.

This will be the first time that a legal census has been carried out in Argentina, which involves counting people according to the place where they usually live or, in other words, where they spend the most time in the week.

Until now, censuses were done in fact: people were counted in the place where they had been the night before the census.