The UN Principles and Recommendations presents the recommended population tables in two parts. These tables are roughly divided into “required” tables and “additional tables.” While the set of tables is not definitive, it follows the recommendations presented in the Principles and Recommendations discussions of the items and allows countries to obtain a series of tables that will comparable to those of other countries in the 2010 Round censuses. Since the first set of population tables is similar to the tables recommended for the 2000 Round censuses and earlier ones. The first population set covers basic tables. CSPro is used to show the table specifications to be used with the Pophous dictionary and the sample Pophous data to help visualize the actual tables. NSOs can adapt these elements to obtain their own tabulations.
General Population Tables and Descriptions
The use of figures for urban agglomerations, in addition to those for the city proper, gives a more adequate indication
of the size of the concentration of population, which often extends beyond the legal borders of the city. These figures
may in fact reveal the need to redraw the city boundaries. For the most effective use of the data, figures are needed both
for the city proper and for the urban agglomeration, because cities usually have some form of local government that
does not extend over to the surrounding densely settled fringe. Responsibility for the determination of policy and
subsequent action may therefore have to be shared by several minor administrative divisions, each of which requires
information on the population within its own borders. The five-year age groups are essential for many purposes, including the analysis of the factors of population change,
the preparation of current population estimates and of projections, the calculation of age-specific vital rates, analysis of
the factors of labour supply and the study of problems of dependency. The grouped age classification is recommended
because it is appropriate to cross-classification by other variables. The tabulation provides a convenient summary of
the total, urban and rural population by the various geographical areas according to the age groups used in most of the
other recommended tabulations. The tabulation should present reported rather than adjusted age data.
Table P1.1-R
Table P1.1-R Total population and population of major and minor civil divisions, by urban/rural distribution and by sex
Total population distributed among major and minor civil divisions is frequently a legal requirement of the census,
because the results are used for apportionment of representation in legislatures and for various administrative purposes.
The tabulation provides data needed for studies and policy analysis with regard to economic and social development of
each part of the country, for the location of economic development projects as well as of health facilities. These data
are also required for the computation of vital statistics rates usually used in projections of future population of civil
divisions.
Table P1.1-R
Table P1.1-R Total population and population of major civil divisions, by urban/rural distribution and by sex
Total population distributed among major and minor civil divisions is frequently a legal requirement of the census,
because the results are used for apportionment of representation in legislatures and for various administrative purposes.
The tabulation provides data needed for studies and policy analysis with regard to economic and social development of
each part of the country, for the location of economic development projects as well as of health facilities. These data
are also required for the computation of vital statistics rates usually used in projections of future population of civil
divisions.
Table P1.2-R
Table P1.2-R Population by size-class of locality, by major civil division, and by sex
This tabulation provides data on national patterns of concentration or dispersion of population, which will afford a
reasonable degree of international comparability, provided that the unit of classification is the locality as defined in
paragraph 2.49. In those countries where the distinction between urban and rural population can be based on size of
locality, these data provide the basis for the urban/rural classification and also for the calculation of rates of
urbanization. Use of data from successive censuses is possible to assess the rate of change, over given periods, in the
number of localities in each size-class and the proportion of the population in each size-class of locality.
Table P1.3-R
Table P1.3-R Population of principal localities and of their urban agglomerations, by sex
Information on the population size of the principal cities or towns and of the urban agglomerations of which these cities
or towns are a part is needed for the study of the growth of the largest clusters of population within a country. The
results of such study are useful in planning the local services (such as utilities, roads, schools, hospitals and so forth)
that are required in proportion to population size.
Table P1.4-R
Table P1.4-R Native and foreign-born population, by geographical division, and by age and sex
These data are the basis for assessing the net contribution of immigration to the age and sex structure of the population.
In countries where immigration has occurred on a large scale, it is very useful to tabulate the data on age-sex structure
separately for the native and the foreign-born population. Thus the effects of immigration on the growth and structure
of the population can be examined and estimates of future mortality and fertility can be improved by taking into
account differentials between native and foreign-born population. The provision of the category of infants under one
year of age is useful for studying relative underenumeration of foreign-born and native infants.
Table P2.1-R
Table P2.1-R Foreign-born population, by country of birth, age and sex, Pophous: 2010
These data provide the basis for assessing the age and sex structure of the population and the contribution of
immigration from specified countries. Thus the effects of immigration from specific countries on the growth and
structure of the population can be estimated. As indicated in recommended tabulation P1.4, the differences in future
fertility and mortality between immigrants from specific countries can also be improved.
Table P2.2-R
Table P2.2-R Foreign-born popualtion, by year or period of arrival, country of birth, age and sex
This tabulation furnishes data to assess the cumulative effect of annual flows of migration and, in particular, the
proportion of the total population that is of foreign origin and its demographic characteristics. In the absence of
migration flow statistics, it provides information on the sources of immigration and their relative contributions over the
years for use in preparing population estimates and projections. Cross-classification by period of arrival provides
information on the changes in the relative size of population originating from specified countries and their composition
by age and sex over recent years. An indication of return migration can be obtained based on similar tabulation from
successive censuses.
Table P2.3a-R
Table P2.3a-R Population, by country of birth and citizenship, age and sex
Table P2.3b-R
Table P2.3b-R Population, by country of birth and citizenship, age and sex
Table P2.4-R
Table P2.4-R Economically active foreign-born population ... years of age and over, by year or period of arrival, occupation and sex
These data provide information on the occupations of the foreign-born population needed to study immigrant workers,
particularly their economic integration and mobility in the country of immigration. Together with a similar tabulation
for the native population, the data constitute the basis for undertaking an in-depth analysis of occupational patterns and
making occupational forecasts for the economy. From the cross-classification by period of arrival, one can observe the
pattern of inflow of skilled migrants during previous years. When classification is also by country of birth, data are
provided for countries that are losing a large volume of highly qualified migrants; such data are useful in the
formulation of employment and educational policies in the countries of origin for dealing with the impact of the
outflow of skilled personnel.
Table P3.1-R
Table P3.1-R Population in households, by relationship to head or other reference member of household, marital status, and sex, and size of institutional population
Data for the study of the distribution of individuals within households serve to indicate the relationship among
members of households, particularly for information on the prevalence of multigenerational households and of
households consisting of unrelated individuals. Marital status is also useful in the study of family living arrangements.
Comparison of these data with similar data from an earlier census can provide information on changing patterns of
household composition and of some of the characteristics of members of the household, and for the preparation of
projections of the number of households.
Table P3.2-R
Table P3.2-R Head or other reference member of households, by age and sex; and other household members, by age and relationship to head other reference member
Data on the age of the head or other reference member of the household and of other household members, classified by
their relationship to the head or other reference member, provide additional information for the purposes stated in the
use of tabulation P3.1 and for the study of the prevalence of multigenerational households.
Table P3.3-R
Table P3.3-R Households, population in households and number of family nuclei, by size of household
Information on the number and size of households and on changes in the rate of household formation is needed by the
planners for, and suppliers of, many goods and services, for which the demand is related to households rather than to
individuals. Agencies dealing with housing problems need these data for the determination of current and projected
rates of household formation, on the basis of which the number and size of new housing units required can be
estimated. This tabulation can provide information needed to plan new sample surveys, and to design the sample that
will be used, as well as comparative data for estimating the accuracy of some of the survey results. Information on
household structure in terms of number of family nuclei in the household is needed for studies of household formation,
projections of numbers of households and estimates of potential housing needs. Information from a series of censuses is
very useful for the study of the disintegration of the households consisting of several family nuclei in countries where
this pattern of living is changing.
Table P4.1-R
Table P4.1-R Population, by single years of age and sex
Information on the detailed age and sex structure of the population is needed for actuarial analysis of the probability of
survival and of related life-table functions. As populations age, the probability of survival to advanced age increases
and the proportion of persons at older ages expands; thus it is important to present detailed age data up to 100 years. It
is also essential for the evaluation of the accuracy of census age data for the population. From this tabulation, it is
possible to reconstitute any selected age grouping (for example, the school-age population and the population of voting
age or groups used in the calculation of food requirements) without interpolating from population classified by fiveyear
age groups.
Table P4.2-R
Table P4.2-R Population, by marital status, age and sex
This tabulation provides material for the study of age at marriage, of the frequency of celibacy, widowhood and divorce
and of the effect of these factors on population growth through their influence on fertility. A simple measure of the
influence of nuptiality on fertility is the comparison of the ratio of children to all women of childbearing age with the
ratio of children to those women who have ever been married. The data are also required for the preparation of
nuptiality tables. A refinement of this tabulation, showing heads or other reference members of households by marital
status, age and sex, can be used together with the present tabulation to obtain age-sex marital status-specific rates for
the head or other reference member. Application of these rates to the projected population by age, sex and marital
status provides projected numbers of households.
Table P5.1-R
Table P5.1-R Female population 10 years of age and over, by age and number of children ever born alive by sex
Census data on fertility are particularly valuable for countries where birth registration statistics are lacking or deficient,
because they can be used to estimate age-specific fertility rates, the total fertility rate, the crude incidence of births in
the total population and other fertility indicators. In addition, they are useful as a supplement to satisfactory registration
data, because they provide a summary of the lifetime fertility of the female population. The principal measures of
fertility that can be derived from this tabulation are (a) the gross fertility ratio (average number of children ever born
alive to women of childbearing age and over), (b) the average number of children ever born alive by sex to women who
have reached the end of the childbearing period (in other words, 50 years of age and over), (c) the proportion of women
who have had no children by the end of their reproductive life, (d) the average number of children born per woman who
has already borne at least one child specified by sex and (e) cumulative average gross fertility ratios by age groups.
The data also provide the base for the computation of birth rates specific for parity by sex. The use of information from
a series of censuses makes it possible to identify cohorts of women and to study their reproductive patterns as they
advance from one age group to another.
Table P5.2-R
Table P5.2-R Female population 10 years of age and over, by age and number of children living (or dead) by sex
These data are most useful for countries where death registration statistics are lacking or deficient. Census estimates of
fertility and mortality can be derived directly or using generally more reliable indirect techniques. Two measures of
fertility can be derived from the tabulations. These are (a) the net fertility ratio (average number of children surviving
to women of childbearing age and over) and (b) cumulative average net fertility ratios by age groups. Child mortality
rates can be estimated for each sex. Some measure of mortality in a generation can also be obtained by comparison of
the net fertility ratio derived from this tabulation with the gross fertility ratio, which can be derived from recommended
tabulation P5.1. This measure is particularly valuable where death rates estimated from civil registration data are not
available or are defective. In addition to the above-mentioned measures of fertility and mortality, the tabulation also
provides information for the analysis of family composition by number of living offspring by sex. These data cannot
be obtained from birth registration statistics; neither can they be obtained from the census information on relationship
to head of household because census families comprise only those persons who live and are enumerated within the
same household; thus they do not necessarily include all the living (or dead) children of the woman enumerated.
Table P5.3-R
Table P5.3-R Female population 10 to 49 years of age, by age, number of live births, by sex within the 12 months preceding the census, and deaths among these live births, by sex
This tabulation refers to female population between the minimum age limit adopted by the country for
collecting information on current fertility and 49 years of age distributed among geographical divisions. It
also provides data to estimate current age specific fertility rates and current infant mortality rates by sex,
particularly as a supplement to vital rates or as an estimation for these rates where birth and death
registration is defective or inadequate.
Table P5.4-R
Table P5.4-R Household deaths, by age and sex within 12 months preceding the census; and total population, by age and sex
These data are used to estimate levels and patterns of recent mortality in combination with data on the population by
age and sex.
Table P6.1a-R
Table P6.1a-R Population 5 years of age and over attending school and not attending school, by age and sex
Table P6.1b-R
Table P6.1b-R. School attendance and age by Educational Attainment
Table P6.2-R
Table P6.2-R Population 5 to 29 years of age, by school attendance, single years of age and sex
Data on the classification of young persons attending and not attending school, by single years of age and sex, are essential for studies of the numerical relationship between the population of school age and the population actually in school. The proportion of the school-age population that is able to take advantage of the educational system is one of the first types of information required for the assessment of the adequacy of the educational system of a country. School enrolment statistics derived from institutional records are not adequate, in many countries, for providing an exact measure of total attendance or data on important characteristics of the school-going population, particularly age. Even countries with detailed, comprehensive statistics compiled from records of educational institutions can benefit from a periodic assessment of the accuracy of these statistics by comparison with the census information on net school attendance.
Table P6.3-R
Table P6.3-R Population 10 years of age and over, by literacy, age and sex
Data on literacy provide one of the indicators of national levels of living and a measure of one of the factors in the
national capacity for technological and cultural development; they are needed for tracing the progress in educational
development of past generations and projecting future trends. In countries where the adult population is largely
illiterate, the tabulation is of immediate use in planning for adult literacy, particularly if the data are tabulated for
local areas. In addition, these data serve as the denominator in the computation of vital rates differentiated by
literacy used as a socio-economic variable, such as birth rates by literacy of mother, and marriage and divorce rates
by literacy of husband and wife.
Table P7.1a-R
Table P7.1a-R Population 10 years of age and over, by usual (or current) activity status, age and sex
Table P7.1b-R
Table P7.1b-R Population 10 yers of age and over, by usual (or current) activity status, educational attainment, and sex
Table P7.1c-R
Table P7.1c-R Population 10 years of age and over, by usual (or current) activity status, educational attainment, age and sex
Table P7.2a-R
Table P7.2a-R Usually (or currently) active population by activity status, main occupation, age and sex
Table P7.2b-R
Table P7.2b-R Usually (or currently) active population by main occupation, age, and sex
Table P7.3a-R
Table P7.3a-R Usually (or currently) active population by activity status, main industry, age and sex
Table P7.3b-R
Table P7.3b-R Usually (or currently) active population by main industry, sex and age
Table P7.4a-R
Table P7.4a-R Usually (or currently) active population by activity status, main status in employment, age and sex
Table P7.4b-R
Table P7.4b-R Usually (or currently) active population by main status in employment, age and sex
Table P7.5-R
Table P7.5-R Usually (or currently) active population by activity status, cross-classified by main status in employment, main industry, and sex
These tabulations furnish an inventory of a country's economically active population and its structure used in formulating
economic policy and planning developmental programmes. Such tabulations play an essential part in analyses of national product
and national income. Studies of the proportion of the economically active population in each industrial sector of the economy and
of the shifts from one sector to another, give information on the level and trend of industrialization and on important aspects of
the country's potential for economic development. Studies of migration from rural areas to cities require analysis of the industrial
structure of employment in the cities and often of the major areas of out-migration, as an aid to assessment of economic aspects
of internal migration. Studies of these types are also relevant to programmes of resettlement and to the formulation of policy with
respect to internal migration.
Table P7.6-R
Table P7.6-R Usually (or currently) active population by activity status, cross-classified byu main status in employment, main occupation and sex
This tabulation provides an inventory of a country's economically active population and its structure, used in formulating
economic policy and planning developmental programmes. Together with recommended tabulations P7.5-R and P7.7-R, it
provides information for analysing national product and national income. Studies of migration from rural areas to cities require
analysis of the occupational structure of employment in the cities and often of the major areas of out-migration, as an aid to
assessment of economic aspects of internal migration. Also, decisions concerning possible sites for industrial establishments and
vocational schools require information on the occupational structure of the labour force in various localities and regions of the
country.
Table P7.7a-R
Table P7.7a-R Usually (or currently) active population by main indistry, main occupation and sex
Table P7.7b-R
Table P7.7b-R Usually (or currently) active population by activity status, cross-classified by main industry, main occupation and sex
Table P7.8-R
Table P7.8-R Population not usually (or currently) active, by funcctional categories, age and sex
This tabulation provides data classified by functional categories and reason for inactivity for the analysis of potential sources of
human resources that are not readily available at present but that may become so under different circumstances.
Table P8.1-R
Table P8.1-R Population with and without disabilities by urban/rural area, by age and sex
There is widespread interest in the prevalence of disability by age and sex in the population. This tabulation provides information
for the calculation of prevalence rates distributed by geographical division, urban/rural residence and the living arrangements of
persons with disabilities.
Table P8.2-R
Table P8.2-R Population 5 years of age and over, by disability status, educational attainment, age and sex
The tabulation provides data for the comparison of the educational attainment of persons with and without disabilities. The
percentage of people with disabilities who have no schooling can be compared with that of persons without disabilities. This
gives information on the status of integration of persons with disabilities and on the opportunity that persons with disabilities
have to participate in the economic, social and cultural development of the country.
Table P8.3-R
Table P8.3-R Population 15 years and over, by disability status, economic activity status, age and sex
Access to paid work is crucial to achieving self-reliance and ensuring the well-being of the adult population, both of persons with
disabilities as well as of those without disabilities. Tabulations by economic activity status provide a basic measure of the social
and economic integration of the population with disabilities as compared with those without disabilities. Tabulations by
urban/rural residence, age and sex are essential to identifying groups of the population that may be most disadvantaged.
