The forthcoming National Census will be carried out from April 1, 2021 to June 30, 2021. At present, organisational and preparatory work is in progress.

The census will be preceded by two rehearsal censuses:

  • the first will be carried out in two municipalities (communes) and will take place from October 1 to October 30, 2019,
  • the second is planned from 1 to 30 April 2020 and will take place in the 16 municipalities (communes), each in its voivodship (province).

Scheduled for 2021, the National Census will be fully implemented using an interactive census form available electronically on the Statistics Poland website. Covered by the census obligation will be:

  • natural persons permanently residing and temporarily staying in dwellings, buildings and other housing units (living quarters) that are not dwellings on the territory of Poland, not domiciled natural persons;
  • dwellings, buildings, collective living quarters and other housing units (living quarters) that are not dwellings.

In order to prevent a situation in which a Polish resident, required to participate in census is unable to make self-enumeration online due to lack of access to facilities and the Internet, the Act obliges the following entities to provide the appropriate room and equipment for the implementation of the self-enumeration online:

  • statistical offices and other units of official statistics services,
  • voivodship offices,
  • offices servicing commune heads (mayors, city presidents) and municipal organisational units.

It is also to be noted that in duly justified cases (if the person subjected to the census obligation is in no way able to complete the census form), contact with census officers will be provided. Assigned officers will help such persons (by telephone or in person) to fulfil the census obligation.

The census provides full data about society, and, its results constitute, the basis for pursuing the process of calculation of the population figures in the period between censuses. These are the only results of studies that reflect the full picture of society, taking into account the demographic profile of the inhabitants of Poland and their living conditions.

Pursuant to Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 763/2008 and of the Council of 9 July 2008, the obligation to implement the censuses is imposed on Member States of the European Union The censuses are carried out once every 10 years, on the basis of the Act describing the detailed conditions of conducting this study. The last census implemented on the basis of the Act of 4 March 2010 focused on the National Population and Housing Census in 2011 (Journal of Laws of 2010 No. 47, item 227).

The obligation to implement Population and Housing Census applies to the President of Statistics Poland, who is the central body of government administration competent in matters of statistics. The President of Statistics Poland performs his tasks with the help of official statistics services, described in detail in Chapter 3 of the Act on Public Statistics (Journal of Laws of 2010, item 649 and 730).

The above Act also sets out rules, organisation and mode of conducting statistical research. With reference to the census, the Act indicates that participation in the study is mandatory, and the implementation of the census requires a separate act (Article 9 of the Act on Public Statistics).

According to the Act, official statistics provides reliable, objective and systematic information about the economic, demographic, social and environmental situation to the public, state authorities and public administration, as well as to entities of the national economy. In order that the depiction of the entire Polish population be reflected, Population and Housing Census are implemented in strict compliance with the above listed Acts, as well as the scrutiny of the Statistics Poland authorities.