NSI: More than 1.7M counted online in Bulgarian census so far
A total of 1 707 458 people have been counted in the online phase of Bulgaria’s 2021 census so far, the National Statistical Institute (NSI) said on September 21.
Citing figures as at 6am on September 21, the NSI said that 100 000 people had been counted in the past day.
A total of 686 459 dwellings, with 748 748 households, had been counted, the institute said.
Bulgaria’s previous regular census, in 2011, resulted in the NSI saying that at the time, the country had a population of more than 7.36 million. The NSI adjusts this figure annually based on estimates, and it is currently 6.91 million.
The NSI said that the top three places in participation in the census online were Sofia, where 42.8 per cent of the population had been counted online, followed by Varna 31.2 per cent and Gabrovo, 26.4 per cent.
The lowest rates of participation in the online phase of the census were in Kurdzhali, Razgrad and Silistra. In Kurdzhali, less than a tenth of the district’s population had been counted online, the NSI said.
Bulgaria’s 2021 census began two weeks ago, on September 7, and has been troubled by problems with online access, which the NSI has blamed on malicious attacks. Initially planned to end on September 17, the online phase has been extended to the end of September, while in-person visits to households began on September 18 and are to continue to October 3.