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International Population Census

Guide resources for finding information for international censuses

How to Use this Guide

If you are looking for specific information about a country census:

Start with the country profiles created by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) and browse the brief history to determine when censuses were taken.

Each profile contains:

  • Description of the main statistical agency and its structure
  • Brief history of the Census for the country including important changes
  • Legal basis for the Census
  • Other producers within the government of official stats
  • Statistical advisory groups
  • Data collection & confidentiality
  • Data dissemination practices.

If you don't see the name of the country that you are looking for in that list go to the historical bibliographies tab in this guide.  The UNSD site only contains current countries.

If you are looking for comparative summary statistics or summary time series tables:

Use the general statistics tab in this guide.  Note: these resources provide a mixture of census, administrative, and survey data. 

  • Intergovernmental (IGO) resource can be useful for finding comparative data as well as time series. 
  • IGO subject focus.  Great for comparative and time series.  
  • Individual country statistical compendia and bulletins

 

If you are looking for raw data, specifically census data:

  • Explore the National Statistical Office for the country.  
  • Explore the appropriate Foreign Countries tabs in this guide.  Particularly if the country no longer exist.  These tabs include links to the National Statistical Offices for the country as well as other data portals and files.