As part of the 2020 round of population census, the population census was conducted in the Republic of Belarus from 4 to 30 October 2019. In Belarus, the first of the CIS countries, the census was carried out on a paperless basis. Of the total number of those enumerated, 76% were enumerated by the method of interviewing by enumerators and filling out questionnaires on tablets, and 22% of the population filled out the census forms on their own via the Internet. For 2 percent of the population, information was obtained on the basis of administrative data (these are persons whom the census takers did not find at home during the entire period of the survey, and persons who refused to participate in the census). Conducting a combined census using various data collection methods provided the opportunity to choose the most convenient way for each respondent to complete the survey, which, in turn, contributed to ensuring a high level of participation in the census.
The use of 2 modern information technologies made it possible to reduce the number of census personnel involved in the survey by more than 3.7 times; reduce the time of the survey by automating the input of information about the respondent and ensure the high quality of filling in the census questionnaires by connecting the control system.
According to the results of the population census, the population of Belarus in October 2019 amounted to 9,413,446 people. For ten years, it has decreased by 90,361 people. The urban population was 7,299,989, including 3,346,946 males and 3,963,043 females. 2,113,457 people lived in the rural area, including 1,004,527 men and 1,108,930 women.