Source of data on urban and city population

This chapter contains information on the sources of data used in estimating and projecting the population of urban areas and urban agglomerations. It presents the sources of data and the definitions underlying the data on urban populations. The definitions presented are generally those used by national statistical offices in carrying out the latest available census. When the definition used in the latest census was not the same as in previous censuses, the data were adjusted whenever possible so as to maintain consistency. In cases where adjustments were made in such a way as to ensure consistency with the definition used in previous censuses, that information is included in the sources listed below. United Nations estimates and projections are based, to the extent possible, on actual enumerations. In some cases, however, it was desirable to incorporate official or other estimates of urban population size as part of the input for the estimation of trends. The sources below indicate when that was done.

Sustainable Development Goals:

Sustainable Cities and Communities