The April 2001 Census of Albania will require great expense, and demand much work from the Institute of Statistics, other government officials at all geographic levels, and the 13.000 or so people who will be hired on a temporary basis. Why spend so much money just to gather some statistical figures?

The answer is that careful nationwide planning is impossible, if the distribution of the population over the territory, and the population's main characteristics, are not well known. This is true for planning by the Government, but also by private enterprises, including foreign investors. For example, if a company would like to build a factory somewhere, it is essential to know whether the area has a good reserve of educated people looking for work. Similarly, if there is a government programme to build or reconstruct schools, then priority should be given to areas where there are many children who are not attending school, while in fact they should be. A census also provides information about people's health, for example, on infant mortality and life expectations. This could tell where medical services need to be improved most urgently. Data on housing conditions inform where good water supply is lacking, or where there is much overcrowding in the dwellings.

Nearly all countries conduct censuses every ten years, usually around the beginning of the decennium. Some like Japan and Australia, even have censuses on a five year basis. Many European countries have just conducted their census, or will have it this year. At the beginning of the new century there is worldwide interest of nations to take stock of their human resources, and on that basis look forward into the future.

In Albania the need for a census is perhaps greater than anywhere else. Events in recent years have greatly affected the geographical distribution of the population. Many have moved from rural areas to cities. Others have gone abroad, while some foreigners have settled here. There is also an important evolution in fertility, since parents these days on average have fewer children than before. The profound changes in the health system also have had effects on the age distribution. The outcome of the census will answer many important questions on these various issues. It will have an immediate effect on policies, but it will also provide material for further profound study.

From the statistical point of view a census provides a good "sampling frame". Sample surveys can ask questions not posed during the census, because of the need to limit the questionnaire, or because the questions are too complex. On the basis of the known sampling fraction (the percentage of census respondents included in the sample), sample results can then be inflated to obtain national figures.

Thus the Government as well as international donors consider the 2001 Census a priority. The total cost will be over 7 million Euro, much of it going to the compensation of the temporary workers. Other important cost components are the printing and transport of the questionnaires, the publicity campaign, data processing, and technical assistance. In international terms the costs are modest, since other countries tend to spend as much as ten times more per inhabitant.