TEHRAN: Iran’s state TV is saying the country has started its first web-based national general census.

The Saturday report says people can visit a dedicated website to fill out forms in the first phase of the survey.

This is the first time that Iran is using the internet to gather data for the census it conducts every five years.

The first nationwide census was held in 1956.

Iran’s statistics centre expects one third of the country’s nearly 23 million households to choose the web-based service.

In October, surveyors will visit the rest of the households to fill out forms for those who did not use the website.

Published in Dawn September 25th, 2016