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{{distinguish|Censer|Census (feudal tax){{!}}Censive| | {{distinguish|Censer|Census (feudal tax){{!}}Censive||Censure|Senser|Sensor}} | ||
{{Short description|Compilation of information about a given population}} | {{Short description|Compilation of information about a given population}} | ||
[[File:Volkstelling 1925 Census.jpg|thumb|A census taker visits a family of | [[File:Volkstelling 1925 Census.jpg|thumb|A census taker visits a family of indigenous [[Dutch Travellers]] living in a [[mobile home|caravan]] in the [[Netherlands]] in 1925.]] | ||
A '''census''' (from [[Latin]] ''[[wikt:censere#Latin|censere]]'', | A '''census''' (from [[Latin]] ''[[wikt:censere#Latin|censere]]'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating information about the members of a given [[Statistical population|population]], which are then usually displayed through statistics. This term is used mostly in connection with [[Population and housing censuses by country|national population and housing censuses]]; other common censuses include [[Census of agriculture|censuses of agriculture]], traditional culture, business, supplies, and traffic censuses. The [[United Nations]] (UN) defines the essential features of population and housing censuses as "individual enumeration, universality within a defined territory, simultaneity and defined periodicity", and recommends that population censuses be taken at least every ten years. UN recommendations also cover census topics to be collected, official definitions, classifications, and other useful information to coordinate international practices.<ref>United Nations (2008). [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/sources/census/docs/P&R_Rev2.pdf Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514112357/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/sources/census/docs/P%26R_Rev2.pdf |date=2011-05-14 }}. Statistical Papers: Series M No. 67/Rev. 2. p. 8. {{ISBN|978-92-1-161505-0}}.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/stats/publications/CES_2010_Census_Recommendations_English.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027034936/http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/stats/publications/CES_2010_Census_Recommendations_English.pdf |archive-date=2011-10-27 |url-status=live |title=CES 2010 Census Recommendations |website=Unece.org |access-date=2013-11-19}}</ref> | ||
The [[United Nations|UN]]'s [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] (FAO), in turn, defines the census of agriculture as "a statistical operation for collecting, processing and disseminating data on the structure of agriculture, covering the whole or a significant part of a country." "In a census of agriculture, data are collected at the holding level."<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/506491e2-2ed4-4a7d-8104-6358d0e40adc|title=World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2020 Volume 1: Programme, concepts and definitions|publisher=FAO|year=2015|isbn=978-92-5-108865-4|series=FAO statistical development series No. 15|location=Rome|access-date=2020-11-19|archive-date=2020-11-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110154327/http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/506491e2-2ed4-4a7d-8104-6358d0e40adc|url-status=live}} [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] Text was copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO (CC BY 3.0 IGO)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191124095033/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ |date=2019-11-24 }} license.</ref> | The [[United Nations|UN]]'s [[Food and Agriculture Organization]] (FAO), in turn, defines the census of agriculture as "a statistical operation for collecting, processing and disseminating data on the structure of agriculture, covering the whole or a significant part of a country." "In a census of agriculture, data are collected at the holding level."<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/506491e2-2ed4-4a7d-8104-6358d0e40adc|title=World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2020 Volume 1: Programme, concepts and definitions|publisher=FAO|year=2015|isbn=978-92-5-108865-4|series=FAO statistical development series No. 15|location=Rome|access-date=2020-11-19|archive-date=2020-11-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110154327/http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/506491e2-2ed4-4a7d-8104-6358d0e40adc|url-status=live}} [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] Text was copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO (CC BY 3.0 IGO)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191124095033/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ |date=2019-11-24 }} license.</ref> | ||
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=== Iran === | === Iran === | ||
One of the earliest systematic censuses in world history was conducted during the early [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid period]], up until the reign of [[Darius the Great|Darius The Great]] in [[History of Iran|Ancient Iran]]. This census, aimed at [[Financial plan|financial planning]], [[military organization]], and [[Revenue service|tax collection]], spanned regions across three continents: [[Asia]], [[Africa]], and [[Europe]]. It included data on population numbers, the wealth of cities and provinces ([[Satrap|Satrapies]]), precise assessments of agricultural lands, the resources of each region, and other factors critical to determining state finances and planning for governance and military operations.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hackl |first1=Johannes |last2=Ruffing |first2=Kai |title=A Companion to the Achaemenid Persian Empire |chapter=Taxes and Tributes |date=2021-06-25 | One of the earliest systematic censuses in world history was conducted during the early [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid period]], up until the reign of [[Darius the Great|Darius The Great]] in [[History of Iran|Ancient Iran]]. This census, aimed at [[Financial plan|financial planning]], [[military organization]], and [[Revenue service|tax collection]], spanned regions across three continents: [[Asia]], [[Africa]], and [[Europe]]. It included data on population numbers, the wealth of cities and provinces ([[Satrap|Satrapies]]), precise assessments of agricultural lands, the resources of each region, and other factors critical to determining state finances and planning for governance and military operations.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hackl |first1=Johannes |last2=Ruffing |first2=Kai |title=A Companion to the Achaemenid Persian Empire |chapter=Taxes and Tributes |date=2021-06-25 |pages=965–979 |doi=10.1002/9781119071860.ch67|isbn=978-1-119-17428-8 }}</ref> | ||
===Egypt=== | ===Egypt=== | ||
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===China=== | ===China=== | ||
{{expand section|date=August 2025}} | |||
{{main|Census in China}} | |||
One of the world's earliest preserved censuses<ref name="Hymes">{{cite book |author=[[Robert Hymes]] |url=https://archive.org/details/columbiachronolo00john |title=Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-231-11004-4 |editor=John Stewart Bowman |page=[https://archive.org/details/columbiachronolo00john/page/12 12] |url-access=registration}}</ref> was held in China in AD{{nbsp}}2 during the [[Han dynasty]], and is still considered by scholars to be quite accurate.<ref name="Twitchett">Twitchett, D., Loewe, M., and Fairbank, J.K. ''Cambridge History of China: The Ch'in and Han Empires 221 B.C.–A.D. 220''. Cambridge University Press (1986), p. 240.</ref>{{sfnp|Nishijima|1986|pp=595–96}}<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Yoon |first1=H. |year=1985 |title=An early Chinese idea of a dynamic environmental cycle |journal=[[GeoJournal]] |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=211–12 |bibcode=1985GeoJo..10..211Y |doi=10.1007/bf00150742 |s2cid=189888642}}</ref> The population was registered as having 57,671,400 individuals in 12,366,470 households but on this occasion only taxable families had been taken into account, indicating the income and the number of soldiers who could be mobilized.{{sfnp|Nishijima|1986|pp=595–96}} Another census was held in AD{{nbsp}}144. | One of the world's earliest preserved censuses<ref name="Hymes">{{cite book |author=[[Robert Hymes]] |url=https://archive.org/details/columbiachronolo00john |title=Columbia Chronologies of Asian History and Culture |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-231-11004-4 |editor=John Stewart Bowman |page=[https://archive.org/details/columbiachronolo00john/page/12 12] |url-access=registration}}</ref> was held in China in AD{{nbsp}}2 during the [[Han dynasty]], and is still considered by scholars to be quite accurate.<ref name="Twitchett">Twitchett, D., Loewe, M., and Fairbank, J.K. ''Cambridge History of China: The Ch'in and Han Empires 221 B.C.–A.D. 220''. Cambridge University Press (1986), p. 240.</ref>{{sfnp|Nishijima|1986|pp=595–96}}<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Yoon |first1=H. |year=1985 |title=An early Chinese idea of a dynamic environmental cycle |journal=[[GeoJournal]] |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=211–12 |bibcode=1985GeoJo..10..211Y |doi=10.1007/bf00150742 |s2cid=189888642}}</ref> The population was registered as having 57,671,400 individuals in 12,366,470 households but on this occasion only taxable families had been taken into account, indicating the income and the number of soldiers who could be mobilized.{{sfnp|Nishijima|1986|pp=595–96}} Another census was held in AD{{nbsp}}144. | ||
===India=== | ===India=== | ||
The oldest recorded | The oldest recorded census in India is thought to have occurred around 330{{nbsp}}BC during the reign of Emperor [[Chandragupta Maurya]] under the leadership of [[Chanakya]] and [[Ashoka]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Census Commissioner of India – Historical Background |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/Data_Products/Library/Indian_perceptive_link/History_link/censushistory.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110819100814/http://censusindia.gov.in/Data_Products/Library/Indian_perceptive_link/History_link/censushistory.htm |archive-date=2011-08-19 |access-date=2011-08-12 |publisher=Govt. of India |quote=The records of census conducted appears from 300 BC.}}</ref> | ||
===Rome=== | ===Rome=== | ||
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{{see also|Roman censor|Indiction}} | {{see also|Roman censor|Indiction}} | ||
The English term is taken directly from the [[Latin]] ''census'', from ''{{linktext|censere}}'' ("to estimate"). The census played a crucial role in the administration of the Roman government, as it was used to determine the class a citizen belonged to for both military and tax purposes. Beginning in the middle republic, it was usually carried out every five years.<ref>[[Walter Scheidel|Scheidel, Walter]] (2009) ''Rome and China: comparative perspectives on ancient world empires''. Oxford University Press, p. 28.</ref> It provided a register of citizens and their property from which their duties and privileges could be listed. It is said to have been instituted by the Roman king [[Servius Tullius]] in the {{nowrap|6th century BC,<ref>[[Livy]] ''[[Ab urbe condita (book)|Ab urbe condita]]'' 1.42</ref>}} at which time the number of arms-bearing citizens was supposedly counted at around 80,000.<ref>[[Livy]] ''[[Ab urbe condita (book)|Ab urbe condita]]'' 1.42, citing [[Fabius Pictor]]</ref> | The English term is taken directly from the [[Latin]] ''census'', from ''{{linktext|censere}}'' ("to estimate"). The census played a crucial role in the administration of the Roman government, as it was used to determine the class a citizen belonged to for both military and tax purposes. Beginning in the middle republic, it was usually carried out every five years.<ref>[[Walter Scheidel|Scheidel, Walter]] (2009) ''Rome and China: comparative perspectives on ancient world empires''. Oxford University Press, p. 28.</ref> It provided a register of citizens and their property from which their duties and privileges could be listed. It is said to have been instituted by the Roman king [[Servius Tullius]] in the {{nowrap|6th century BC,<ref>[[Livy]] ''[[Ab urbe condita (book)|Ab urbe condita]]'' 1.42</ref>}} at which time the number of arms-bearing citizens was supposedly counted at around 80,000.<ref>[[Livy]] ''[[Ab urbe condita (book)|Ab urbe condita]]'' 1.42, citing [[Fabius Pictor]]</ref> | ||
In AD{{nbsp}}6, the Roman legate [[Publius Sulpicius Quirinius]] organized a [[Census of Quirinius|census]] of Judaea <ref>Kokkinos 1989 'Crucifixion in A.D. 36: | |||
The Keystone for Dating the Birth of Jesu', IN Vardaman, J. and Yamauchi, E.M. (Eds), Chronos, Kairos, Christos Nativity and Chronological Studies Presented to Jack Finegan, Eisenbrauns, Page 140</ref> for tax purposes, which was partially responsible for the development of the [[Zealot]] movement and several failed rebellions against Rome ultimately ending in the [[Jewish Diaspora]]. The [[Gospel of Luke]] makes reference to Quirinius' census in relation to the [[birth of Jesus]];<ref>{{bibleref|Luke|2:1–2}}</ref> based on variant readings of this passage, a minority of biblical scholars, including [[N. T. Wright]], speculate that this passage refers to a separate registration conducted during the reign of [[Herod the Great]], several years before Quirinius' census.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wright |first=Nicholas |author-link=N. T. Wright |title=Who Was Jesus? |date=9 March 1993 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. |isbn=978-0-8028-0694-9 |pages=88–89}}</ref> | |||
The 15-year [[indiction]] cycle established by [[Diocletian]] in AD{{nbsp}}297 was based on [[wikt:quindecennial]] censuses and formed the basis for dating in late antiquity and under the [[Byzantine calendar|Byzantine Empire]]. | |||
===Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphates=== | ===Rashidun and Umayyad Caliphates=== | ||
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===Spanish Empire=== | ===Spanish Empire=== | ||
On May 25, 1577, [[Philip II of Spain|King Philip II of Spain]] ordered by royal cédula the preparation of a general description of Spain's holdings in the Indies. Instructions and a questionnaire, issued in 1577 by the Office of the Cronista Mayor, were distributed to local officials in the Viceroyalties of [[New Spain]] and Peru to direct the gathering of information. The questionnaire, composed of fifty items, was designed to elicit basic information about the nature of the land and the life of its peoples. The replies, known as "{{lang|es|relaciones geográficas}}", were written between 1579 and 1585 and were returned to the Cronista Mayor in Spain by the Council of the Indies. | On May 25, 1577, [[Philip II of Spain|King Philip II of Spain]] ordered by royal cédula the preparation of a general description of Spain's holdings in the Indies. Instructions and a questionnaire, issued in 1577 by the Office of the Cronista Mayor, were distributed to local officials in the Viceroyalties of [[New Spain]] and Peru to direct the gathering of information. The questionnaire, composed of fifty items, was designed to elicit basic information about the nature of the land and the life of its peoples. The replies, known as "{{lang|es|relaciones geográficas}}", were written between 1579 and 1585 and were returned to the Cronista Mayor in Spain by the Council of the Indies. | ||
==Sampling== | ==Sampling== | ||
[[File:Tehran Census 1869.png|thumb|The [[Tehran]] census in 1869<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amar darolkhaneh |url=http://files.tarikhema.org/pdf/ejtemaee/Amar_darolkhaneh_Tarikhema_org.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103114014/http://files.tarikhema.org/pdf/ejtemaee/Amar_darolkhaneh_Tarikhema_org.pdf |archive-date=2019-11-03 |url-status=live |access-date=20 November 2022 |website=tarikhema.org}}</ref>]]{{Single source|date=October 2024|section}} | [[File:Tehran Census 1869.png|thumb|The [[Tehran]] census in 1869<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amar darolkhaneh |url=http://files.tarikhema.org/pdf/ejtemaee/Amar_darolkhaneh_Tarikhema_org.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103114014/http://files.tarikhema.org/pdf/ejtemaee/Amar_darolkhaneh_Tarikhema_org.pdf |archive-date=2019-11-03 |url-status=live |access-date=20 November 2022 |website=tarikhema.org}}</ref>]]{{Single source|date=October 2024|section}} | ||
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==Enumeration strategies== | ==Enumeration strategies== | ||
[[File:Enumerator.jpg|thumb|An enumerator conducting a census survey using a mobile phone-based questionnaire in the rural [[Mutasa District]] in [[Zimbabwe]] in 2015]] | [[File:Enumerator.jpg|thumb|An enumerator conducting a census survey using a mobile phone-based questionnaire in the rural [[Mutasa District]] in [[Zimbabwe]] in 2015]] | ||
Historical censuses used direct field enumeration and assumed that the information collected was fully accurate, with no measurement error. Modern approaches take into account the problems of overcount and undercount and the coherence of census enumerations with other official sources of data.{{clarify|date=May 2019}} For instance, during the 2020 U.S. Census, the Census Bureau counted people primarily by collecting answers sent by mail, on the internet, over the phone, or using shared information through proxies. These methods accounted for 95.5 percent of all occupied housing units in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Percival |first1=Kelly |last2=Fong |first2=Clara |title=Understanding the Census Bureau's Methods for Completing the 2020 Count |url=https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/understanding-census-bureaus-methods-completing-2020-count |work=Brennan Center for Justice |access-date=2024-08-26 }}</ref> This reflects a realist approach to measurement, acknowledging that under any definition of residence there is a true value of the population{{Fix|text=gobbledegook}} but this can never be measured with complete accuracy. An important aspect of the census process is to evaluate the quality of the data.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Baffour |first1=Bernard |last2=Valente |first2=Paolo |date=13 May 2008 |title=Census Quality Evaluation: considerations from an international perspective |url=https://unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/stats/documents/ece/ces/ge.41/2008/sp.4.e.pdf |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=2025-02-05 |website=United Nations Economic Commission for Europe |publisher=United Nations Statistics Division}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Breiman | first1 = Leo | year = 1994 | title = The 1991 Census Adjustment: Undercount or Bad Data? | journal = [[Statistical Science]] | volume = 9 | issue = 4| pages = 458–75 | doi = 10.1214/ss/1177010259 | doi-access = free }}</ref> | Historical censuses used direct field enumeration and assumed that the information collected was fully accurate, with no measurement error. Modern approaches take into account the problems of overcount and undercount and the coherence of census enumerations with other official sources of data.{{clarify|date=May 2019}} For instance, during the 2020 U.S. Census, the Census Bureau counted people primarily by collecting answers sent by mail, on the internet, over the phone, or using shared information through proxies. These methods accounted for 95.5 percent of all occupied housing units in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Percival |first1=Kelly |last2=Fong |first2=Clara |title=Understanding the Census Bureau's Methods for Completing the 2020 Count |url=https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/understanding-census-bureaus-methods-completing-2020-count |work=Brennan Center for Justice |access-date=2024-08-26 }}</ref> This reflects a realist approach to measurement, acknowledging that under any definition of residence there is a true value of the population{{Fix|text=gobbledegook}} but this can never be measured with complete accuracy. An important aspect of the census process is to evaluate the quality of the data.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Baffour |first1=Bernard |last2=Valente |first2=Paolo |date=13 May 2008 |title=Census Quality Evaluation: considerations from an international perspective |url=https://unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/stats/documents/ece/ces/ge.41/2008/sp.4.e.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008173330/https://unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/stats/documents/ece/ces/ge.41/2008/sp.4.e.pdf |archive-date=2013-10-08 |access-date=2025-02-05 |website=United Nations Economic Commission for Europe |publisher=United Nations Statistics Division}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Breiman | first1 = Leo | year = 1994 | title = The 1991 Census Adjustment: Undercount or Bad Data? | journal = [[Statistical Science]] | volume = 9 | issue = 4| pages = 458–75 | doi = 10.1214/ss/1177010259 | doi-access = free }}</ref> | ||
Many countries use a post-enumeration survey to adjust the raw census counts.<ref>World Population and Housing Census Programme (2010) [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/standmeth/handbooks/Manual_PESen.pdf Post Enumeration Surveys: Operational guidelines] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503082524/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/standmeth/handbooks/Manual_PESen.pdf |date=2012-05-03 }}, United Nations Secretariat, Dept of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistics Division, Tech Report</ref> This works similarly to [[capture-recapture]] estimation for animal populations. Among census experts, this method is called dual system enumeration (DSE). A sample of households is visited by interviewers who record the details of the household as of census day. These data are then matched to census records, and the number of people missed can be estimated by considering the number of people who are included in one count but not the other. This allows adjustments to the count for non-response, varying between different [[demographic]] groups. An explanation using a fishing analogy can be found in "Trout, Catfish and Roach..."<ref>Benton, P. [http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/2011/the-2011-census/census-coverage-survey/trout--catfish-and-roach.pdf Trout, Catfish and Roach: The beginner's guide to census population estimates] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107223425/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/2011/the-2011-census/census-coverage-survey/trout--catfish-and-roach.pdf |date=2012-01-07 }}, [[Office for National Statistics]], UK</ref> which won an award from the [[Royal Statistical Society]] for excellence in [[official statistics]] in 2011. | Many countries use a post-enumeration survey to adjust the raw census counts.<ref>World Population and Housing Census Programme (2010) [http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/standmeth/handbooks/Manual_PESen.pdf Post Enumeration Surveys: Operational guidelines] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503082524/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/standmeth/handbooks/Manual_PESen.pdf |date=2012-05-03 }}, United Nations Secretariat, Dept of Economic and Social Affairs, Statistics Division, Tech Report</ref> This works similarly to [[capture-recapture]] estimation for animal populations. Among census experts, this method is called dual system enumeration (DSE). A sample of households is visited by interviewers who record the details of the household as of census day. These data are then matched to census records, and the number of people missed can be estimated by considering the number of people who are included in one count but not the other. This allows adjustments to the count for non-response, varying between different [[demographic]] groups. An explanation using a fishing analogy can be found in "Trout, Catfish and Roach..."<ref>Benton, P. [http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/2011/the-2011-census/census-coverage-survey/trout--catfish-and-roach.pdf Trout, Catfish and Roach: The beginner's guide to census population estimates] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107223425/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/2011/the-2011-census/census-coverage-survey/trout--catfish-and-roach.pdf |date=2012-01-07 }}, [[Office for National Statistics]], UK</ref> which won an award from the [[Royal Statistical Society]] for excellence in [[official statistics]] in 2011. | ||
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Triple system enumeration has been proposed as an improvement as it would allow evaluation of the statistical dependence of pairs of sources. However, as the matching process is the most difficult aspect of census estimation this has never been implemented for a national enumeration. It would also be difficult to identify three different sources that were sufficiently different to make the triple system effort worthwhile. The DSE approach has another weakness in that it assumes there is no person counted twice (over count). In ''de facto'' residence definitions this would not be a problem but in ''de jure'' definitions individuals risk being recorded on more than one form leading to double counting. A particular problem here is students who often have a term time and family address. | Triple system enumeration has been proposed as an improvement as it would allow evaluation of the statistical dependence of pairs of sources. However, as the matching process is the most difficult aspect of census estimation this has never been implemented for a national enumeration. It would also be difficult to identify three different sources that were sufficiently different to make the triple system effort worthwhile. The DSE approach has another weakness in that it assumes there is no person counted twice (over count). In ''de facto'' residence definitions this would not be a problem but in ''de jure'' definitions individuals risk being recorded on more than one form leading to double counting. A particular problem here is students who often have a term time and family address. | ||
Several countries have used a system known as short form/long form.<ref>[http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/2011/what-is-a-census/other-methods-of-census-taking/index.html Other methods of census taking] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314160532/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/2011/what-is-a-census/other-methods-of-census-taking/index.html |date=2012-03-14 }}, [[Office for National Statistics]], UK</ref> This is a [[Sampling (statistics)|sampling]] strategy that randomly chooses a proportion of people to send a more detailed questionnaire to (the long form). Everyone receives the short-form questions. This means more data are collected, but without imposing a burden on the whole population. This also reduces the burden on the statistical office. Indeed, in the UK until 2001 all residents were required to fill in the whole form but only a 10% sample was coded and analysed in detail.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/census-2001/about-census-2001/introduction/index.html |title=Introduction to Census 2001 |publisher=Ons.gov.uk |date=2001-04-29 |access-date=2012-12-12 |archive-date=2013-01-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117043415/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/census-2001/about-census-2001/introduction/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> New technology means that all data are now scanned and processed. During the [[2011 Canadian census]] there was controversy about the cessation of the mandatory long-form census; the head of [[Statistics Canada]], [[Munir Sheikh]], resigned upon the federal government's decision to do so.<ref>{{cite web |author=The Canadian Press |url=http://www.680news.com/radio/680news/article/80353--text-of-munir-sheikh-s-resignation-statement |title=Text of Munir Sheikh's resignation statement |publisher=680News |date=2010-07-21 |access-date=2012-02-19 | Several countries have used a system known as short form/long form.<ref>[http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/2011/what-is-a-census/other-methods-of-census-taking/index.html Other methods of census taking] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314160532/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/2011/what-is-a-census/other-methods-of-census-taking/index.html |date=2012-03-14 }}, [[Office for National Statistics]], UK</ref> This is a [[Sampling (statistics)|sampling]] strategy that randomly chooses a proportion of people to send a more detailed questionnaire to (the long form). Everyone receives the short-form questions. This means more data are collected, but without imposing a burden on the whole population. This also reduces the burden on the statistical office. Indeed, in the UK until 2001 all residents were required to fill in the whole form but only a 10% sample was coded and analysed in detail.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/census-2001/about-census-2001/introduction/index.html |title=Introduction to Census 2001 |publisher=Ons.gov.uk |date=2001-04-29 |access-date=2012-12-12 |archive-date=2013-01-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117043415/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/census/census-2001/about-census-2001/introduction/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> New technology means that all data are now scanned and processed. During the [[2011 Canadian census]] there was controversy about the cessation of the mandatory long-form census; the head of [[Statistics Canada]], [[Munir Sheikh]], resigned upon the federal government's decision to do so.<ref>{{cite web |author=The Canadian Press |url=http://www.680news.com/radio/680news/article/80353--text-of-munir-sheikh-s-resignation-statement |title=Text of Munir Sheikh's resignation statement |publisher=680News |date=2010-07-21 |access-date=2012-02-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111219103126/http://www.680news.com/radio/680news/article/80353--text-of-munir-sheikh-s-resignation-statement |archive-date=2011-12-19 }}</ref> | ||
The use of alternative enumeration strategies is increasing<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ined.fr/en/publications/pop_soc/bdd/publication/1506/ |title=[INED] Population and Societies |publisher=Ined.fr |access-date=2012-02-19 |archive-date=2013-01-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117052803/http://www.ined.fr/en/publications/pop_soc/bdd/publication/1506/ |url-status=live }}</ref> but these are not as simple as many people assume and are only used in developed countries.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kukutai |first1=Tahu |author-link=Tahu Kukutai |year=2014 |title=Whither the census? Continuity and change in census methodologies worldwide, 1985–2014 |journal=Journal of Population Research |volume=32 |pages=3–22 |doi=10.1007/s12546-014-9139-z |s2cid=154735445}}</ref> The Netherlands has been most advanced in adopting a census using [[administrative data]]. This allows a simulated census to be conducted by linking several different administrative databases at an agreed time. Data can be matched, and an overall enumeration established allowing for discrepancies between different data sources. A validation survey is still conducted in a similar way to the post-enumeration survey employed in a traditional census. | The use of alternative enumeration strategies is increasing<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ined.fr/en/publications/pop_soc/bdd/publication/1506/ |title=[INED] Population and Societies |publisher=Ined.fr |access-date=2012-02-19 |archive-date=2013-01-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117052803/http://www.ined.fr/en/publications/pop_soc/bdd/publication/1506/ |url-status=live }}</ref> but these are not as simple as many people assume and are only used in developed countries.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kukutai |first1=Tahu |author-link=Tahu Kukutai |year=2014 |title=Whither the census? Continuity and change in census methodologies worldwide, 1985–2014 |journal=Journal of Population Research |volume=32 |pages=3–22 |doi=10.1007/s12546-014-9139-z |s2cid=154735445}}</ref> The Netherlands has been most advanced in adopting a census using [[administrative data]]. This allows a simulated census to be conducted by linking several different administrative databases at an agreed time. Data can be matched, and an overall enumeration established allowing for discrepancies between different data sources. A validation survey is still conducted in a similar way to the post-enumeration survey employed in a traditional census. | ||
Other countries that have a population register use this as a basis for all the census statistics needed by users. This is most common among Nordic countries but requires many distinct registers to be combined, including population, housing, employment, and education. These registers are then combined and brought up to the standard of a statistical register by comparing the data from different sources and ensuring the quality is sufficient for official statistics to be produced.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/stats/publications/Register_based_statistics_in_Nordic_countries.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015113925/http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/stats/publications/Register_based_statistics_in_Nordic_countries.pdf |archive-date=2012-10-15 |url-status=live |title=Register-based statistics in the Nordic countries |website=Unece.org |year=2007 |access-date=2012-12-12}}</ref> | Other countries that have a population register use this as a basis for all the census statistics needed by users. This is most common among [[Nordic countries]] but requires many distinct registers to be combined, including population, housing, employment, and education. These registers are then combined and brought up to the standard of a statistical register by comparing the data from different sources and ensuring the quality is sufficient for official statistics to be produced.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/stats/publications/Register_based_statistics_in_Nordic_countries.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015113925/http://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/stats/publications/Register_based_statistics_in_Nordic_countries.pdf |archive-date=2012-10-15 |url-status=live |title=Register-based statistics in the Nordic countries |website=Unece.org |year=2007 |access-date=2012-12-12}}</ref> | ||
A recent innovation is the French instigation of a rolling census program with different regions enumerated each year so that the whole country is completely enumerated every 5 to 10 years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gov.hk/wsc/STS017-P5-S.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224211626/http://www.statistics.gov.hk/wsc/STS017-P5-S.pdf |archive-date=2017-02-24 |url-status=live|title=The French Rolling Census: a decade of experience|last=Durr|first=Jean-Michel and François Clanché}}</ref> In Europe, in connection with the 2010 census round, many countries adopted alternative census | A recent innovation is the French instigation of a rolling census program with different regions enumerated each year so that the whole country is completely enumerated every 5 to 10 years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.statistics.gov.hk/wsc/STS017-P5-S.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224211626/http://www.statistics.gov.hk/wsc/STS017-P5-S.pdf |archive-date=2017-02-24 |url-status=live|title=The French Rolling Census: a decade of experience|last=Durr|first=Jean-Michel and François Clanché}}</ref> In Europe, in connection with the 2010 census round, many countries adopted alternative census methodologies, often based on the combination of data from registers, surveys and other sources.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www1.unece.org/stat/platform/display/censuses/2010+Population+Census+Round |title=2010 Population Census Round – Confluence |publisher=unece.org |access-date=2012-12-12 |archive-date=2012-11-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107120442/http://www1.unece.org/stat/platform/display/censuses/2010+Population+Census+Round }}</ref> | ||
==Technology== | ==Technology== | ||
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|title=Population Estimation Using a 3D City Model: A Multi-Scale Country-Wide Study in the Netherlands | |title=Population Estimation Using a 3D City Model: A Multi-Scale Country-Wide Study in the Netherlands | ||
|journal=PLOS ONE | |journal=PLOS ONE | ||
|volume=11 | issue = 6 | | |volume=11 | issue = 6 |article-number= e0156808 | ||
|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0156808 | |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0156808 | ||
|last1=Biljecki | |last1=Biljecki | ||
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As governments assumed responsibility for schooling and welfare, large government [[research]] departments made extensive use of census data. Population projections could be made, to help plan for provision in local government and regions. Central government could also use census data to allocate funding. Even in the mid 20th century, census data was only directly accessible to large government departments. However, computers meant that tabulations could be used directly by university researchers, large businesses and local government offices. They could use the detail of the data to answer new questions and add to local and specialist knowledge.<ref name=":2" /> | As governments assumed responsibility for schooling and welfare, large government [[research]] departments made extensive use of census data. Population projections could be made, to help plan for provision in local government and regions. Central government could also use census data to allocate funding. Even in the mid 20th century, census data was only directly accessible to large government departments. However, computers meant that tabulations could be used directly by university researchers, large businesses and local government offices. They could use the detail of the data to answer new questions and add to local and specialist knowledge.<ref name=":2" /> | ||
Nowadays, census data are published in a wide variety of formats to be accessible to business, all levels of government, media, students and teachers, charities, and any citizen who is interested; researchers in particular have an interest in the role of Census Field Officers (CFO) and their assistants.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Morphy|first1=Frances|title=Agency, Contingency and Census Process: Observations of the 2006 Indigenous Enumeration Strategy in Remote Aboriginal Australia|year=2007|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ydj3AQAAQBAJ&q=researcher%20census%20field%20officer&pg=PR11|publisher=ANU E Press|isbn=978- | Nowadays, census data are published in a wide variety of formats to be accessible to business, all levels of government, media, students and teachers, charities, and any citizen who is interested; researchers in particular have an interest in the role of Census Field Officers (CFO) and their assistants.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Morphy|first1=Frances|title=Agency, Contingency and Census Process: Observations of the 2006 Indigenous Enumeration Strategy in Remote Aboriginal Australia|year=2007|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ydj3AQAAQBAJ&q=researcher%20census%20field%20officer&pg=PR11|publisher=ANU E Press|isbn=978-1-921313-58-5|access-date=19 July 2016|quote=One researcher spent time observing... the training of Census Field Officers (CFO) and their assistants....|archive-date=20 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230120131341/https://books.google.com/books?id=Ydj3AQAAQBAJ&q=researcher%20census%20field%20officer&pg=PR11|url-status=live}}</ref> Data can be represented visually or analysed in complex statistical models, to show the difference between certain areas, or to understand the association between different personal characteristics. Census data offer a unique insight into small areas and small demographic groups which sample data would be unable to capture with precision. | ||
In the census of agriculture, users need census data to: | In the census of agriculture, users need census data to: | ||
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Typically, census data are processed to obscure such individual information. Some agencies do this by intentionally introducing small statistical errors to prevent the identification of individuals in marginal populations;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3110129.NSF/f61552cc746715bcca256eb000015277/2878e9589dd56b53ca257153007fe1f5!OpenDocument |title=Managing Confidentiality and Learning about SEIFA |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |date=2006-04-18 |access-date=2010-11-30 |archive-date=2011-05-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524225948/http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3110129.NSF/f61552cc746715bcca256eb000015277/2878e9589dd56b53ca257153007fe1f5!OpenDocument |url-status=live }}</ref> others swap variables for similar respondents. Whatever is done to reduce the privacy risk, new improved electronic analysis of data can threaten to reveal sensitive individual information. This is known as [[statistical disclosure control]]. | Typically, census data are processed to obscure such individual information. Some agencies do this by intentionally introducing small statistical errors to prevent the identification of individuals in marginal populations;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3110129.NSF/f61552cc746715bcca256eb000015277/2878e9589dd56b53ca257153007fe1f5!OpenDocument |title=Managing Confidentiality and Learning about SEIFA |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |date=2006-04-18 |access-date=2010-11-30 |archive-date=2011-05-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524225948/http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/D3110129.NSF/f61552cc746715bcca256eb000015277/2878e9589dd56b53ca257153007fe1f5!OpenDocument |url-status=live }}</ref> others swap variables for similar respondents. Whatever is done to reduce the privacy risk, new improved electronic analysis of data can threaten to reveal sensitive individual information. This is known as [[statistical disclosure control]]. | ||
Another possibility is to present survey results by means of statistical models in the form of a multivariate distribution mixture.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jos.nu/Articles/abstract.asp?article=264673 |title=Statistical Model of the 2001 Czech Census for Interactive Presentation |vauthors=Grim J, Hora J, Somol P, Boček P, Pudil, P |year=2010 |work=Journal of Official Statistics, vol. 26, no. 4 |pages=673–94 |access-date=2011-01-07 |archive-date=2011-07-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724190636/http://www.jos.nu/Articles/abstract.asp?article=264673 | Another possibility is to present survey results by means of statistical models in the form of a multivariate distribution mixture.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jos.nu/Articles/abstract.asp?article=264673 |title=Statistical Model of the 2001 Czech Census for Interactive Presentation |vauthors=Grim J, Hora J, Somol P, Boček P, Pudil, P |year=2010 |work=Journal of Official Statistics, vol. 26, no. 4 |pages=673–94 |access-date=2011-01-07 |archive-date=2011-07-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724190636/http://www.jos.nu/Articles/abstract.asp?article=264673 }}</ref> The statistical information in the form of [[Conditional probability distribution|conditional distributions]] ([[histogram]]s) can be derived interactively from the estimated [[Mixture distribution|mixture model]] without any further access to the original database. As the final product does not contain any protected microdata, the model-based interactive software can be distributed without any confidentiality concerns. | ||
Another method is simply to release no data at all, except very large scale data directly to the central government. Differing release strategies of governments have led to an international project ([[IPUMS]]) to co-ordinate access to microdata and corresponding metadata. Such projects such as [[SDMX]] also promote standardising metadata, so that best use can be made of the minimal data available. | Another method is simply to release no data at all, except very large scale data directly to the central government. Differing release strategies of governments have led to an international project ([[IPUMS]]) to co-ordinate access to microdata and corresponding metadata. Such projects such as [[SDMX]] also promote standardising metadata, so that best use can be made of the minimal data available. | ||
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{{further|Estimates of historical world population}} | {{further|Estimates of historical world population}} | ||
The earliest [[world population]] estimate of the world population was made by [[Giovanni Battista Riccioli]] in 1661; the next by [[Johann Peter Süssmilch]] in 1741, revised in 1762; the third by [[Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Dieterici]] in 1859.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Willcox|first=Walter|date=1931|title=International Migrations, Volume II: Interpretations|url=https://www.nber.org/chapters/c5103.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425122720/http://www.nber.org/chapters/c5103.pdf |archive-date=2016-04-25 |url-status=live|journal=NBER|volume=78 |issue=3 |page=309 |doi=10.2307/1784930 |jstor=1784930 |bibcode=1931GeogJ..78..309C }}</ref> | The earliest [[world population]] estimate of the world population was made by [[Giovanni Battista Riccioli]] in 1661; the next by [[Johann Peter Süssmilch]] in 1741, revised in 1762; the third by [[Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Dieterici]] in 1859.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Willcox|first=Walter|date=1931|title=International Migrations, Volume II: Interpretations|url=https://www.nber.org/chapters/c5103.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425122720/http://www.nber.org/chapters/c5103.pdf |archive-date=2016-04-25 |url-status=live|journal=NBER|volume=78 |issue=3 |page=309 |doi=10.2307/1784930 |jstor=1784930 |bibcode=1931GeogJ..78..309C }}</ref> | ||
[[File:1929 world population estimate.png|thumb|300px|The [[League of Nations]] and [[International Statistical Institute]] estimates of the world population in 1929]] | |||
In 1931, Walter Willcox published a table in his book, ''International Migrations: Volume II Interpretations'', that estimated the 1929 world population to be roughly 1.8 billion. | In 1931, Walter Willcox published a table in his book, ''International Migrations: Volume II Interpretations'', that estimated the 1929 world population to be roughly 1.8 billion. | ||
==Impact of COVID-19== | ==Impact of COVID-19== | ||
[[File:A Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) enumerator interviews a resident of Molino Homes II Subdivision.jpg|thumb|A census taker interviews a resident of [[Dasmariñas]], [[Philippines]], in October 2020.]] | [[File:A Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) enumerator interviews a resident of Molino Homes II Subdivision.jpg|thumb|A census taker interviews a resident of [[Dasmariñas]], [[Philippines]], in October 2020.]] | ||
===Impact=== | ===Impact=== | ||
In the early 2020s, the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] posed substantial challenges: of 155 countries surveyed by the [[United Nations Statistics Division|UNSD]], 77% reported disruptions in their census operations.<ref name=":22">{{Cite journal |last=Espey |first=Jessica M. |last2=Tatem |first2=Andrew J. |last3=Thomson |first3=Dana R. |date=2025-06-19 |title=Disappearing people: A global demographic data crisis threatens public policy |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adx8683 |journal=Science |volume=388 |issue=6753 |pages=1277–1280 |doi=10.1126/science.adx8683|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The crisis dramatically affected census deadlines. The low supply of [[personal protective equipment]] to protect against COVID-19 had immediate implications for conducting censuses in communities at risk of transmission. | |||
The | The [[United Nations Population Fund|UNFPA]] requested that even where a census was delayed, census preparations were not cancelled in order to assure that implementation could proceed once the pandemic was under control. While new census methods, including online, register-based, and hybrid approaches were being used across the world, these demanded extensive planning and preconditions that could not be created at short notice.<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |url=https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/Census_COVID19_digital.pdf |title=Technical Brief on the Implications of COVID-19 on Census |publisher=UNFPA |year=2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605123659/https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/Census_COVID19_digital.pdf |archive-date=2020-06-05 |url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
=== | Following the UNFPA's recommendation, many countries postponed their census activities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics |url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/census/COVID-19-SurveyT2-3/ |access-date=2025-10-16 |website=unstats.un.org}}</ref> The [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]] postponed the deadlines for census by four months. As of 2025, among the ten most populous countries, [[India]] and [[Nigeria]] are the only two yet to conduct a census.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2020-09-16 |title=Parliament proceedings {{!}} First phase of Census postponed due to COVID-19 outbreak: Govt |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/parliament-proceedings-first-phase-of-census-postponed-due-to-covid-outbreak-govt/article32621703.ece |access-date=2025-10-14 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Nihalani |first=Jasmin |date=2024-06-25 |title=India among a select few countries that have not conducted the Census {{!}} Data |url=https://www.thehindu.com/data/india-among-a-select-few-countries-that-have-not-conducted-the-census-data/article68327672.ece |archive-url=https://archive.today/20251016132655/https://www.thehindu.com/data/india-among-a-select-few-countries-that-have-not-conducted-the-census-data/article68327672.ece |archive-date=2025-10-16 |access-date=2025-10-16 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> The pandemic also affected the planning and implementation of censuses of agriculture across the world. Over 80 countries reported that their census of agriculture activities were either delayed, postponed, or suspended.<ref name=":12">{{Cite journal |last=Castano |first=Jairo |date=2020-11-01 |title=Censuses of agriculture and COVID-19: Global situation and lessons |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/action/showAbstract |journal=Statistical Journal of the IAOS |language=EN |volume=36 |issue=4 |pages=861–865 |doi=10.3233/SJI-200752 |issn=1874-7655|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The extent of the impact varied according to what stage the censuses were at, ranging from planning to fieldwork and data processing stages. Census delays result in critical data being unavailable for an entire agricultural year.<ref name=":12" /> | ||
The [[United | |||
Lack of census data also affects policy-making. Researchers can make projections of national trends without updated census data, but estimates are less reliable at regional levels.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mallapaty |first=Smriti |date=25 July 2024 |title=Three-Year Delay for Indian Census Frustrates Scientists |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02321-9.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240718050146/https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02321-9.pdf |archive-date=18 July 2024 |access-date=16 October 2025 |work=Nature |pages=718, Volume 631}}</ref> The financial implications for statistical operations resulting from the pandemic were more immediately visible in lower income countries, primarily due to the reorientation of funding resources away from census programmes and towards pandemic control activities.<ref name=":12" /> | |||
=== Adaptation === | |||
Countries have tried to adopt administrative registers instead of surveys. In the US, administrative records such as [[Income tax in the United States|income tax]] return filings were used by the Census Bureau to enumerate households.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mule |first=Thomas |date=1 April 2021 |title=Administrative Records and the 2020 Census |url=https://www.census.gov/newsroom/blogs/random-samplings/2021/04/administrative_recor.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250713024743/https://www.census.gov/newsroom/blogs/random-samplings/2021/04/administrative_recor.html |archive-date=13 July 2025 |access-date=14 October 2025 |work=United States Census Bureau}}</ref> Indonesia and Turkey also leveraged their administrative registers to ease the process.<ref name=":22" /> | |||
Due to COVID-19, the United Nations had advocated for the use of technology for regular data collection, concluding how important those activities are for health and housing policymaking.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=9 August 2024 |title=''Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses'' |url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/meetings/2024/egm-20240904/p%26r-rev4-draft-20240809.pdf |journal=[[United Nations Statistics Division]] |via=[[UNSD]]}}</ref> More countries are adapting newer AI-derived technologies to streamline operations. The UN has announced that they will tend to support register-based censuses more given their efficiency, and have planned to achieve this for the 2030 census round.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bartl |first=Walter |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781003259749 |title=The Global Politics of Census Taking: Quantifying Populations, Institutional Autonomy, Innovation |last2=Suter |first2=Christian |last3=Veira-Ramos |first3=Alberto |date=2024-01-30 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-003-25974-9 |edition=1 |location=London |language=en |doi=10.4324/9781003259749}}</ref> | |||
==Modern implementation== | ==Modern implementation== | ||
{{main|Population and housing censuses by country}} | {{main|Population and housing censuses by country}} | ||
{{ | |||
In the 2020 round of censuses, covering the period 2015–2024, 204 countries or areas conducted at least one census. To a greater extent than in previous years, censuses were delayed or not completed in areas that hosted a significant percentage of the global population. This was driven by factors including the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], declines in international funding for census activities, and declining trust in data collection and institutions.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Espey |first1=Jessica M. |last2=Tatem |first2=Andrew J. |last3=Thomson |first3=Dana R. |date=2025-06-19 |title=Disappearing people: A global demographic data crisis threatens public policy |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adx8683 |journal=Science |volume=388 |issue=6753 |pages=1277–1280 |doi=10.1126/science.adx8683|pmid=40536961 |bibcode=2025Sci...388.1277E |url-access=subscription }}</ref> | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
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==References== | ==References== | ||
* Alterman, Hyman, (1969). ''Counting People: The Census in History''. Harcourt, Brace & Company. {{ | * Alterman, Hyman, (1969). ''Counting People: The Census in History''. Harcourt, Brace & Company. {{LCCN|7482635}} | ||
* Behrisch, Lars. (2016) "Statistics and Politics in the 18th Century | * Behrisch, Lars. (2016) "Statistics and Politics in the 18th Century", ''Historical Social Research/Historische Sozialforschung'' (2016): 238–57. | ||
* Bielenstein, Hans, (1978). "Wang Mang, the restoration of the Han dynasty, and Later Han | * Bielenstein, Hans, (1978). "Wang Mang, the restoration of the Han dynasty, and Later Han", in ''The Cambridge History of China'', vol. 1, eds. Denis Twitchett and John K. Fairbank, pp. 223–90, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. | ||
* Krüger, Stephen, (Fall 1991). "The Decennial Census", [http://wsulawreview.org/Volume19Articles.pdf 19 ''Western State University Law Review'' 1]; available at [http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/wsulr19&div=6&id=&page= HeinOnline] {{subscription required}}. | * Krüger, Stephen, (Fall 1991). "The Decennial Census", [http://wsulawreview.org/Volume19Articles.pdf 19 ''Western State University Law Review'' 1]; available at [http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/wsulr19&div=6&id=&page= HeinOnline] {{subscription required}}. | ||
* [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=297 Effects of UK 'Jedi' hoax on 2001 UK census from ONS]. | * [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=297 Effects of UK 'Jedi' hoax on 2001 UK census from ONS]. | ||