Lessons so far from the Romanian census. Emphasis on the swindling numbers of the Transylvanian Hungarian ethnic minority

Based on the latest publicly available data, this study attempts to outline the results of the 2022 Romanian census and its implications for the indigenous ethnic Hungarian population. Besides its undeniable scientific significance, the census also holds numerous practical benefits and is essential for political decision-making. Census data enables the precise mapping and understanding of social, economic, and demographic processes. Consequently, it provides a foundation for various international, national, regional, or local policies and offers assistance in developing long-term strategies, and forecasts. Since the census serves as the starting point of pooulation estimatesm making it the most reliable source of demographic information, I consider the results of the Romanian 2011 census as the main point of comparison and reference. In the first part, I present the methodological characteristics of the census by reference to sensus act the official Hungarian version of the census questionnaire. Subsequently, I compare the available official statistics and trends of the2022 census with the results of the 2011 census, with a particular emphasis on the characteristics of the ethnic Hungarian population in Romania.