Essential roles of the census

Evidence-based decision-making is a universally recognized paradigm of efficient management of economic and social affairs and of overall effective governing of societies today. Generating relevant, accurate and timely statistics is a sine qua non of this model; producing detailed statistics for small areas and small population groups is its foundation. The role of the population and housing census is to collect, process and disseminate such small area detailed statistics on population, its composition, characteristics, spatial distribution and organization (families and households). Censuses are conducted periodically in the majority of the countries in the world; they have been promoted internationally since the end of the nineteenth century, when the International Statistical Congress recommended that all countries in the world conduct them. Since 1958, the United Nations has also been actively promoting the population and housing census by compiling the principles and recommendations for population and housing censuses.

Sustainable Development Goals:

Good Health and Well-Being

Decent Work and Economic Growth

Reduced Inequalities