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The information generated by a population and housing census – numbers of people, their distribution, their living conditions and other key data – is critical for development. Without accurate data, policymakers do not know where to invest in schools, hospitals and roads. Those most in need remain invisible. Yet too many countries have outdated or inaccurate information about their populations.

A census is among the most complex and massive peacetime exercises a nation undertakes. It does not merely count people; it can also measure fertility, mortality and movement, helping to predict demographic trends. And it can uncover inequalities in employment, education and wealth.

UNFPA aims to make sure no country fails to carry out a census because of financial or technical constraints. UNFPA provides technical support during all stages of a national census, and helps ensure the data are widely utilized and disseminated for development.


News on Census Census reaches vulnerable women and girls in a remote area of Myanmar for the very first time
“When people are not counted, they are excluded,” said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, yesterday during the opening session of the 49th Commission on Population and Development (CPD). “Data and analysis are critical to ending inequalities, reaching the people who are hardest to reach and a life of dignity for all.” Making Sense of Myanmar's Census
UNITED NATIONS, New York – At midnight on 30 March, Myanmar conducted its first census in more than 30 years. The country has changed dramatically since the last census was held in 1983, with some areas seeing significant progress and others going underserved, yet it has been challenging for the Government or civil society to gauge or respond to the changing needs of the population. Myanmar Tests Procedures for Its 2014 Census
YANGON — The Myanmar Government with support from UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, undertook a pilot census exercise from 30 March to 10 April to prepare for a nationwide census in 2014, the country's first in 30 years.



How is the information used? An enumerator at work in Bamyan, Afghanistan. ©UNFPA/Lorenzo Tugnoli

Today, with major demographic shifts occurring and attention focused on international development, accurate and timely data are more important than ever.

The unique advantage of the census is that it represents the entire statistical universe, down to the smallest geographical unit, of a country or region. Planners need this information for all kinds of development work, including: assessing demographic trends; analysing socio-economic conditions; designing evidence-based poverty-reduction strategies; monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of policies; and tracking progress toward national and internationally agreed development goals.

The information also helps raise awareness about population issues among government decision-makers and the public at large. Additionally, a national census is often the only source of information for identifying forms of social, demographic or economic exclusion – such as inequalities by racial, ethnic, religious or other characteristics. The census also provides data on disadvantaged regions and vulnerable groups, such as the poor, the young, the old, people living with disabilities, and women and girls.

Censuses can empower local communities by giving them access to this critical data. And it can encourage participation in local decision-making by increasing knowledge of communities’ needs and by ensuring representation based on accurate numbers.

An enormous undertaking

A traditional population and housing census requires mapping an entire country, deciding what technologies should be employed, mobilizing and training legions of enumerators, conducting a major public awareness campaign, canvassing all households, collecting individual information, compiling hundreds of thousands – or millions – of completed questionnaires, monitoring procedures and results, and analysing, utilizing and disseminating the results.

Though it is a very laborious and costly operation, it is a vital one. Only a census can provide the fine-grained and accurate data needed by analysts and policymakers to make informed, evidence-based development policies. It is recommended that a national census be conducted every 10 years to make comparable information available. A series of censuses allow experts to assess the past, describe the present and estimate for the future.

Censuses are conducted in “rounds.” The 2020 census round comprises censuses taking place between 2015 and 2024.


Because so much depends on the data produced, the process can become highly charged and requires careful monitoring. And because a census exercise typically occurs once every decade, it is hard to retain expertise in national statistical offices between censuses. By the time a new census rolls around, many experienced demographers or statisticians have moved on to retirement or the private sector.

Census taking is also very costly. Creating partnerships with major stakeholders, including civil society and the private sector, is crucial for the successful implementation and continuity of censuses.

Conflict situations in many countries pose additional challenges, as well. And despite the essential role of census data in evidence-based development plans and poverty-reduction strategies, they are not always converted into information that is useful for designing the most cost-effective and accurately targeted policies – a challenge UNFPA works to address.

UNFPA in action

Supporting countries in the collection, analysis and dissemination of census data for development is a critical part of UNFPA's mandate.

UNFPA plays key roles in coordinating technical and financial assistance for censuses. This support can include resource mobilization, the provision of chief technical advisers, training in technical communication and advocacy, operating publicity campaigns, as well as developing census budgets, road maps, and instruments such as questionnaires and manuals.

UNFPA is also a member of the joint governing body of the International Committee on Census Coordination (ICCC), a group that supports the implementation of housing and population censuses in developing countries. UNFPA is currently the chair of the ICCC.

Last updated 11 August 2016.


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Publications on Census Methodological Guidelines for the Gender Analysis of National Population and Housing Census Data

Gender analysis needs to assess, analyze and reveal the processes of differential social roles, variance in social treatment and outright discrimination that explain the observed results. This manual provides methodological guidance to make increasingly effective use of the data from Population and Housing Censuses for gender analysis Population Situation Analysis

This guide provides the basis for an integrated appraisal of population and reproductive health dynamics and their impacts on poverty, inequality and development. By integrating a micro and macro analytical approach, the population situation analysis clarifies the interactions between individual behaviour and demographic dynamics. Advocacy and Resource Mobilization for the 2010 Round of Censuses

In February 2005, a joint UNFPA/UNSD International Meeting on the 2010 Round of Censuses was held in New York. The outcome of that meeting is reflected in this report, Advocacy and Resource Mobilization for the 2010 Round of Censuses Counting the People: Constraining Census Costs and Assessing Alternative Approaches

The papers in this report are based on an edited selection of presentations made at two meetings on population censuses. The first was the UNFPA/PARIS21 International Expert Group Meeting on Mechanisms for Ensuring Continuity of 10-Year Population Censuses: Strategies for Reducing Census Costs held in Pretoria on 26-29 November 2001 and the second meeting was a UNFPA In-House Capacity Building Workshop on Population Censuses



Resources on Census Strategy for the 2020 Round of Population & Housing Censuses (2015-2024)
A core mandate of UNFPA, since its inception, is to strengthen national capacity to ensure high quality censuses that meet international standards and wide dissemination and use of census data for development planning, implementation and monitoring.
Evaluation of UNFPA support to population and housing census data to inform decision-making and policy formulation (2005-2014)
The evaluation is forward-looking and strategic in nature and aims to inform the programming and implementation of interventions under the current Strategic Plan (2014-2017) including key strategic orientations, gaps and opportunities for UNFPA support to population and housing censuses as well as to the post-2015 development agenda on data for development.
Census 2011: Governing Populations and the Girl Child
The announcement of the provisional population figures from Census 2011 has come at a very important moment in India’s relationship with the census and its operations. Newspaper headlines made it clear where India’s own priorities lay – first and foremost were the “positives”: improvements in the rate of decline in the growth of the population (though less than anticipated), a rise in literacy rates and also of the overall sex ratio of the number of women per 1,000 men.
Special Initiative on the Census: Supporting the 2010 Round

UNFPA's Special Initiative on Census was launched by the Executive Director to ensure that programme countries receive support to mobilize the funds and the technical capacity they need to complete a population censu


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United Nations Statistics Division: 2010 World Population and Housing Census Programme

United Nations Statistics Division: Census Knowledge Base


World Bank Open Data


Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century

The Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Digitisation Guidebook (CRVS-DGB)