Proceedings Of The Second Census Undercount Workshop September 2 5 198

The population and housing census is part of an integrated national statistical system, which may include other censuses (for example, agriculture), surveys, registers and administrative files. It provides, at regular intervals, the benchmark for population count at national and local levels. For small geographical areas or sub-populations, it may represent the only source of information for certain social, demographic and economic characteristics. For many countries the census also provides a solid framework to develop sampling frames. This publication represents one of the pillars for data collection on the number and characteristics of the population of a country.

Since its early years, the United Nations has issued a series of international recommendations on population and housing censuses under the title “Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses”. These publication series, which are based on good national practices in census taking, are widely used by national statistical offices and census officials in countries throughout the world in planning and carrying out population and housing censuses, as well as other related data collection activities, particularly demographic and and socio-economic surveys. The recommendations provide guidance on the main characteristics of population and housing censuses, general material on census methodology, planning, and operations, and more detailed guidance on the content of censuses, in terms of topics for population and also housing. These series are currently revised to assist countries in preparing for the 2020 round of censuses by taking into account changes in methodology, technology, as well as the need for better data dissemination and utilization.