United Nations Secretariat

Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Statistics Division

ESA/STAT/AC.97/L4
15 October 2004
English only

United Nations Symposium on

Population and Housing Censuses
New York, 13-14 September 2004

Report of the United Nations Symposium on Population and Housing

Censuses
New York, 13-14 September 2004

____________________
*

This document is being issued without formal editing.

A.

Introduction

Background and objective of the Meeting

1. The United Nations Symposium on Population and Housing Censuses was convened
in New York on 13-14 September 2004. The Symposium was organized by the
Demographic and Social Statistics Branch of the United Nations Statistics Division
(UNSD), Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The purpose of this
Symposium was to set priorities for the upcoming decade round of population and
housing censuses (2005-2014) in light of the experience from the previous census
decade (1995-2004). The Symposium also aimed at providing inputs for the drafting
of a resolution requested by the Statistical Commission at its 35th session, calling on
the Secretary-General to proceed with the development of a 2010 World Population
and Housing Census Programme1.
2. The Symposium had three major objectives:
i. To identify issues warranting further discussion based on the experiences of
the 2000 census decade;
ii. To set priorities for the Expert Group Meeting on 2010 World Population
and Housing Census Programme in light of national and international
experiences from the 2000 World Population and Housing Census
Programme;
iii. To provide inputs for the drafting of a resolution for consideration by the
United Nations Statistical Commission with respect to the development of
the 2010 World Population and Housing Census Programme.
3.

The meeting was attended by representatives from 17 countries: Australia, Brazil,

Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, India, Islamic Republic of Iran, Israel, Jamaica, Japan,
Peru, Russian Federation, South Africa, Thailand, United Kingdom, and the United
States; four United Nations regional commissions: Economic Commission for Europe
(ECE), Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC),
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and Economic
and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA); and 12 organizations and
institutions: Caribbean Community Secretariat (CARICOM), Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO), Inter American Development Bank, el Mercado Comn del Sur
(MERCOSUR), Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), the Statistical Office of
the European Communities (EUROSTAT), UNESCO Institute for Statistics, United
Nations Population Division, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United

Official Records of the Economic and Social Council, 2004, Supplement No. 4
(E/2004/24), chap. II. B, para. 2 (a).
2

Nations Statistics Division, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the World
Bank.
Opening Remarks
4. The Symposium was opened by the Director of the United Nations Statistics
Division, Mr. Paul Cheung, who focused on: (1) emerging issues in defining and
conducting population and housing censuses and optimal ways to address and include
them in the 2010 Programme for Population and Housing Censuses (2005-20014); (2)
the importance of active involvement of member states in the implementation of the
Programme; and (3) identifying critical issues and dimensions to be reflected in the
resolution of the 2010 World Programme for Population and Housing Censuses.
5. The Director highlighted some of the emerging issues including the fact that the
process of conducting a census is changing due to the emergence of alternative
strategies, such as, new census designs and recent developments in information
technology.
Structure of the Symposium
6. In setting the scope of the deliberations for the Symposium, the United Nations
Statistics Division presented two papers; one on active involvement of Member States
authorities as a prerequisite for a successful outcome of the 2010 decade round of
population and housing censuses, and the second presenting the framework for the
2010 World Programme for Population and Housing Censuses. The Meeting was
divided into three sessions covering the following broad topics:
i. Experiences and lessons learned from the 2000 census decade round;
ii. Critical issues that have emerged during the 2000 census decade round;
iii. Recommendations for the 2010 World Programme on Population and
Housing Censuses.
7. Papers contributed by participants were presented under each broad topic followed by
the exchange of national experiences that enriched the discussions and raised issues
on: the use of alternative census designs; incorporation of new census topics;
experiences with using new technology such as those used in scanning questionnaires,
handheld devices, and Internet dissemination of data; the importance of public
perception of the census; promotion of census data to users and ability to show the
value of census information; coordination of technical support at inter-regional,
regional and sub-regional levels; the changing definition of a census; non-statistical
use of census operations and ensuring data confidentiality; the importance of updating
the Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses in light
of emerging experiences; and the ways in which countries have responded to
increasing financial constraints. Papers for the meeting are available on the website of

the United Nations Statistics Division at:

http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/meetings/egm/Symposium04/default.htm.
8. The first session of the meeting was chaired by Mr. Ian Cope of the United Kingdom,
the second session by Mr. Mano Ranjan of India and the third session by Ms. Mary
Chamie of the United Nations Statistics Division. The Rapporteur for the meeting
was Ms. Rosaline Hirschowitz of South Africa.
Conclusions and Recommendations
In light of the preparation of the 2010 World Programme and the next round of
population and housing censuses, the questions listed below require deliberations at the
national, regional and international level. The answers and findings are expected to shape
approaches to all aspects of census processes:
9. What is a census? The Symposium reviewed the definition of a census as stated in the
current version of the United Nations Principles and Recommendations for
Population and Housing Censuses and in light of experiences from the previous
decade round. The current internationally recommended definition consists of four
criteria for a census: individual enumeration, universality within defined territory,
simultaneity and defined periodicity2. While most countries continue to conduct
traditional census and some use national registers, new forms such as rolling censuses
are emerging which do not necessarily have all of these characteristics. The
Symposium recommended revisiting the essential features of a census to determine
whether or notand if so in what waythe definition might be revised. In addition,
the Symposium emphasized the importance of having censuses complying in their
entirety with the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics3.
10. What is the core set of outputs that is essential to social and economic planning? The
Symposium deliberated over the importance of output-based planning for censuses
and the overall statistical system. A minimum national dataset was considered as a
means to obtain the necessary outputs for planning purposes, improve national and
international comparability of data, and facilitate the integration of national statistical
systems. The Symposium concluded that output planning is critical and in that
context a meaningful core national dataset based on specific outputs would be a
useful tool for census planning. The Symposium recommended that the Expert Group
on the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses provide
guidance in the identification of items/topics for a core national dataset while

Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses, Revision 1, United Nations
Publication Sales No. E.98.XVII.8, United Nations, 1998, page 3. paragraph 1.5.
3

See http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/statorg/FP-English.htm.
4

considering the extent to which the current United Nations Demographic Yearbook
reflects such a set.
11. What should a census include, and how should the content be determined? Changing
social conditions and issues have led to a number of new and evolving topics being
considered for inclusion and/or revision in national censuses for the forthcoming
2010 census round. Some of the key topics under consideration refer to usual
residence, families, international migration, aging, maternal mortality, and human
functioning, to name a few. At the same time, the Symposium expressed their concern
with the overburdening of the census questionnaire with various topics and the
underutilization of collected census data in the current round. The Symposium
recommended that the updated Principles and Recommendations for Population and
Housing Censuses include a comprehensive list of elaborated census topics and
provide a set of clear and unambiguous criteria that would guide national census
authorities in determining topics that would apply to their national circumstances.
12. How feasible are alternative approaches to censuses? Recognizing that we might be at
the beginning of a census revolution, the Symposium noted that alternative
approaches including a combination of administrative sources, household surveys,
satellite imagery, and use of the Internet, are still largely uncharted territories and
realized the need to outline advantages and disadvantages of such approaches. The
Symposium deliberated at length on the potential drawbacks and benefits of
alternative approaches. It noted that approaches based on population registers are not
always feasible, given, among other issues, the cost of developing and maintaining
these registers. Under many circumstances the traditional method of census
enumeration is still an indispensable, reliable option. Therefore, the Symposium
recommended that the Expert Group on 2010 World Programme on Population and
Housing Censuses outline preconditions and prerequisites for adopting an alternative
census design, taking into account the experiences of countries that are implementing
such designs in regard to quality and coverage of statistics obtained, costs, and
timeliness of census results.
13. How can censuses best be integrated into the national statistical system? The
Symposium noted that a lack of integration among various statistical operations may
occur at the national level. The Symposium recommended a review of the integration
of statistical systems through common frames for population, housing, agricultural
and establishment censuses, where relevant, as well as household and other surveys
and administrative sources; and to elaborate the role of censuses as part of a fully
integrated national statistical system.
14. How can utilization of census data be improved? The Symposium identified several
challenges in the area of data utilization. First, there is the challenge of education of
users, the public and key stakeholders. Second, there is the challenge of enabling
increased access to data such as by making them available free of charge, including
on the Internet. Third, there is the significant challenge of improving dissemination
by customizing products to fit different needs, including using Geographic
Information System (GIS) technology for data dissemination and in planning census
5

outputs in consultation with stakeholders and users. Along these lines the Symposium
recommended that the Expert Group prepare guidelines on dissemination and public
relations and possibly the development of brochures encouraging a public dialogue
and educating users with regard to what data are available and how they might benefit
from its use.
15. How can new technologies best support census operations? The Symposium
considered the broad range of new technologies that are being employed in census
operations including Global Positioning System(GPS) technology, and handheld
devices for enumeration; scanning of census forms, and GIS and thematic maps for
dissemination, to name a few. It was pointed out that new technologies are not always
more efficient than traditional methods. Sharing of experiences, skills and hardware
between national statistical/census authorities has proven to be effective for some
countries. The Symposium concluded that it would be useful to examine the
conditions under which certain technologies can effectively be adopted and to what
extent the updated Principles and Recommendations should address new
technologies. The Symposium recommended that the use of new technologies be
addressed as a priority in the programme of work of the Expert Group on 2010 World
Programme on Population and Housing Censuses.
16. What about countries in exceptionally difficult circumstances? The Symposium
considered the situation of official statistics in countries with limited statistical
capacities and experience in census operations, or emerging from political strife, or
facing extreme poverty. They identified a need to assess the most effective ways to
support countries in such difficult circumstances, especially those that have not
conducted a census in over ten years. Thus, the Symposium emphasized that the
census enumeration, processing and dissemination of data in countries in difficult
circumstances require more detailed elaboration and priority status in the 2010 World
Population and Housing Census Programme.
17. What considerations should be taken when outsourcing all or part of a census
operation? The Symposium identified an increasing trend for countries to outsource
part of their census operations. This activity poses a challenge for statistical offices
for a number of reasons; for example, the interests of suppliers providing services are
not always in line with the interests of the statistical office or the government; the
need to ensure privacy, confidentiality, data accuracy and maintaining public trust
while outsourcing census activities; problems related to preparation of contracts and
legal arrangements. The Symposium recommended that the Expert Group on 2010
World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses make the review of issues
related to outsourcing census operations a priority in their work. It also recommended
that the Expert Group explore the possibility of providing opportunities to countries
for exchange of experience in preparing legal frameworks and terms of reference for
contracts to outsource census activities.
18. What revisions or updates are necessary in the Principles and Recommendations for
Population and Housing Censuses? The Symposium considered the implications of
their deliberations on the above topics for the Principles and Recommendations and
6

concluded that the document should be reviewed, updated and revised as necessary to
reflect the experiences of the 2000 census decade specifically focused on the
priorities set above. The Symposium also concluded that the Fundamental Principles
of Official Statistics be mainstreamed into the revised Principles and
Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses.
19. The Symposium addressed the roles and actions of national statistical/census
authorities, United Nations Statistical Commission, United Nations Statistics Division
and United Nations regional commissions, and other sub-regional organizations in
support of the 2010 World Population and Housing Census Programme. In this
context, the Symposium recommended that the United Nations Statistical
Commission, at its 36th session, in March 2005, adopt a draft of a Resolution on the
2010 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses for Economic and
Social Council consideration and adoption, that would:
i. Support the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing
Censuses, consisting of a number of activities aimed at ensuring that
Member States conduct a population and housing census at least once in
the period 2005-2014;
ii. Urge Member States to carry out a population and housing census and to
disseminate census results as an essential source of information for small
area, national, regional and international planning and development; and
to provide census results to national stakeholders as well as the United
Nations and other appropriate intergovernmental organizations to assist
in studies on population, environment, and socio-economic development
issues and programmes;
iii. Emphasize the importance of the 2010 World Programme on Population
and Housing Censuses for socioeconomic planning and request
increased support for this Programme; and
iv. Ask the Secretary General of the United Nations to implement the 2010
World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses.
20. The Symposium considered the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing
Censuses: A Proposal for Active Involvement for Member States and expressed strong
and unambiguous support for the concept of active involvement of Member States
and establishment of a trust fund in support for the World Programme, coordinated by
the United Nations Statistics Division/DESA. The active involvement refers, but is
not limited, to identifying technical expertise and other resources to be shared by
Member States in the conduct of their censuses which may result, for example, in the
sharing of IT expertise; the short-term exchange of professionals; sharing of training
programmes; and the exchange of census information and data exchange, through a
coordinated programme of partnership activities. The active involvement also
includes pledging financial contributions to the Population and Housing Census Trust
Fund by Member States and by other relevant intergovernmental and
nongovernmental organizations.

21. The Trust Fund would be used to bridge the distances between national statistical
offices in their exchange of resources and support, by providing the funds needed for
travel, consultation, fellowships and advisory work, as well as for research and
development of standards and methods necessary for the successful implementation
of the World Programme. While the trust fund would involve relatively few
resources, it would act as a catalyst for members providing assistance and support to
each other or for sharing national experiences. The trust fund will be an effective
source for facilitating the provision of technical assistance, with the understanding
that such trust fund is not meant to be the main source of funds for conducting a
national census. The Symposium also recognized that the trust fund would enhance
the capacity of the United Nations Statistics Division as a conduit for exchange of
relevant information and experience and a major repository of supporting materials
and experiences.
22. In this context, United Nations Statistics Division together with the United Nations
regional commissions must be a broker of census experiences. A directory of census
resources, national practices, experts and other available resources would allow
countries to more easily obtain information when they need it. Sharing expertise
among countries with mutual interests, within and across regions, such as the example
of el Mercado Comn del Sur (Mercosur) countries with Bolivia and Chile, should be
encouraged and supported by the United Nations Statistics Division. Developing an email list serve is one example of how experiences might be shared.

Annex 1: Participants

Country Experts
Name

Country

Agency/E-Mail

Susan Linacre
Deputy Australian
Statistician, Population
Statistics Group

Australia

Australian Bureau of Statistics

Email : susan.linacre@abs.gov.au

Alicia Bercovich
Coordinator, Population
Census Committee

Brazil/MERCOSUR

Instituto Brasilero de Geografia e EstadisticsIBGE

Email : alicia@ibge.gov.br

Rosemary Bender
Director, Census Operations
Division

Canada

Statistics Canada
Email : rosemary.bender@statcan.ca

Charles Patrick
Senior Advisor, International
Relations Division

Canada

International Relations Division

Statistics Canada
Email : charles.patrick@statcan.ca

Rene Saa Vidal

Head of Geography and
Census Department
Coordinator for International
Cooperation

Chile

Intituto Nacional De Estatisticas de Chile

Email : Rene.saa@ine.cl

Xiru Li
Director, GIS and
Environmental Statistics
Division

China

Department of Population, Social, Science and

Technology Statistics.
National Bureau of Statistics
Email : Lixr@stats.gov.cn

Hongwen Yu
Senior Statistician

China

Department of Population, Social, Science and

Technology Statistics.
National Bureau of Statistics
Email : yhw@stats.gov.cn

Bakr Abou-El-Nasr Soltan

Under Secretary for
CAPMAS President Office

Egypt

The Central Agency for Public Mobilization

and Statistics- CAPMAS
Email : capmas_presaffr@yahoo.com

Mano Ranjan
Secretary to the Government
of India

India

Government of India
Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation
Email : mranjan@vsnl.com

Hamidreza Navvabpour
Deputy Vice President,
Management and Planning
Organization and Head
Statistical Centre of Iran

Islamic Republic of
Iran

Statistical Centre of Iran

Email : navvabpour@sci.org.ir

Charles Kamen
Associate Director, Israel
Central Bureau of Statistics

Israel

Israel Central Bureau of Statistics

Email : charles@cbs.gov.il

Valerie Nam
Director of Censuses
Demographics and Social
Statistics

Jamaica

Statistical Institute of Jamaica

Email : v.nam@statinja.com

Shigeru Kawasaki
Director General

Japan

Statistical Research and Training Institute

Ministry of Public Management Home
Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications
Email : skawasaki@stat.go.jp

Naoki Kurihara
Assistant Director

Japan

Population Division
Statistics Bureau
Ministry of Public Management, Home
Affairs Posts and Telecommunications
Email : nkurihara2@stat.go.jp

Emilio Farid Matuk Castro

Chief Statistician

Peru

Institute of Statistics and Informatics

Email : farid.matuk@inei.gob.pe

Irina Zbarskaya
Head of Population Statistics
Department

Russian Federation

Federal Service of State Statistics

Email : zbarskaya@gks.ru

Rosaline Hirschowitz
Deputy Director General

South Africa

Statistics South Africa

Email : rosh@statssa.gov.za

Calvin Molongoana
Executive Manager, Census
Operations

South Africa

Statistics South Africa

Email : Calvinm@statssa.gov.za

10

Jirawan Boonperm
Director of Social and
Economic Statistics Bureau

Thailand

National Statistical Office

Email : Jirawan@nso.go.th

Ian Cope
Director Census 2011

United Kingdom

Office National Statistics

Email : ian.cope@ons.gov.uk

Hermann Habermann
Deputy Director

USA

US Census Bureau
Email : hermann.habermann@census.gov

Jay K. Keller
Chief of International
Relations

USA

US Census Bureau
Email : jay.k.keller@census.gov

Peter O. Way
Chief, International
Programs Center (IPC)

USA

US Census Bureau
Email : peter.o.way@census.gov

Robert Goldenkoff
Assistant Director

USA

Office of Strategic Issues

U.S. Government Accountability Office
Email: GoldenkoffR@gao.gov
Regional Commissions

Name

Commission

E-Mail

Heinrich Brngger
Director, Statistical Division

UN ECE

Email : heinrich.bruengger@unece.org

Angela Me
Chief, Social and
Demographic Statistics
Section

UN ECE

Email : angela.me@unece.org

Dirk Jaspers-Faijer
UN ECLAC
Chief Population Information
and Training Area

Email : djaspers@eclac.cl

Lene Mikkelsen
Chief, Statistics
Development Section

UN ESCAP

Email : mikkelsen@un.org

Ahmed Hussein
Social Statistics and
Indicators Team Leader

UN ESCWA

Email : hussein@un.org

11

Agencies and Institutions

Name

Agency/Institution

Email

Philomen Harrison
Programme ManagerStatistics

CARICOM

Email : harrison@caricom.org

Sylvan Roberts
Senior Project Officer

CARICOM

Email :sroberts@caricom.org

Franois Bovagnet
Head of Section
Demography and Census

EUROSTAT

Email :francois.bovagnet@ cec.eu.int

David Marshall
Senior Statistician

FAO

Email : david.marshall@fao.org

Jos Antonio Mejia

Inter American
Development Bank

Email: joseam@iadb.org

Leslie Stone

Inter American
Development Bank

Email: leslies@iadb.org

Gerald Haberkorn
Head
Population/Demography
Programme

SPC

Email : geraldH@spc.int

Jos Pessoa
Programme Specialist

UNESCO

Email : j.pessoa@uis.unesco.org

Kourtoum Nacro
Technical Officer
Technical Support Division

UNFPA

Email : nacro@unfpa.org

Keita Ohashi
Programme Specialist
Africa Division

UNFPA

Email: ohashi@unfpa.org

Mona Kaidbey
UNFPA Representative,
Colombia

UNFPA

Email: kaidbey@unfpa.org

Joseph Chamie

DESA, Population

Email : chamiej@un.org

12

Director

Division

Larry Heligman
Chief, Population Studies
Branch

DESA, Population
Division

Email : heligman@un.org

Thomas Buettner
Chief, Population Estimates
and Projections Section

DESA, Population
Division

Email : buettner@un.org

Ties Boerma
Director, Department of
Measurement and Health
Information System

WHO

Email : boermat@who.int

Misha Belkindas
Manager, Development Data
Group

World Bank

Email : mbelkindas@worldbank.org

13