Transcript Expert Group Meeting to Review the United Nations Demographic Yearbook System 10-14 November 2003 New York The United Nations Demographic Yearbook: In Need of Improvement Demographic.

Expert Group Meeting to
Review the United Nations Demographic Yearbook System
10-14 November 2003
New York
The United Nations Demographic Yearbook:
In Need of Improvement
Demographic and Social Statistics Branch
United Nations Statistics Division
United Nations Demographic Yearbook
System
• Set of instruments and procedures for
collecting, processing and disseminating
national population statistics
• Most visible product, the United Nations
Demographic Yearbook , is a unique source
of national population statistics, for over
230 countries or areas in the world.
United Nations Demographic Yearbook:
A Brief History
• The Statistical Commission and the
Population Commission of the United
Nations were established in 1946
• Based on their recommendations the
Economic and Social Council introduced
the Demographic Yearbook, as a major
vehicle for collecting, processing and
disseminating population statistics
United Nations Demographic Yearbook:
A Brief History
• Initially, there were 48 topics included in
the Demographic Yearbook, pertaining to
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Area and population
Economically active population
International migration
Natality
Mortality
Morbidity
Marriage and divorse
United Nations Demographic Yearbook:
A Brief History
• Sources of data at national level:
• Population and Housing Census
• Civil registration and vital statistics system
• Administrative records
United Nations Demographic Yearbook:
A Brief History
• Collecting and presenting statistics and
meta-data from national censuses exposed
gaps in coverage and methodological
inconsistencies
• Consequently, these Demographic Yearbook
findings initiated two major United Nations
programmes:
United Nations Demographic Yearbook:
A Brief History
1. The work on methodological standards,
resulting in introducing and updating the
Recommendations for Population and
Housing Censuses and accompanying
manuals and handbooks
2. The work on assisting countries in
conducting their censuses through a
number of technical assistance projects
United Nations Demographic Yearbook:
A Brief History
• Similarly, in the field of civil registration
and vital statistics, the findings of the
Demographic Yearbook initiated another
two sets of programmes:
United Nations Demographic Yearbook:
A Brief History
1. The work on the Principles and
Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System, a
set of methodological standards, and
2. The International Programme for Accelerating
the Improvement of Vital Statistics and Civil
Registration Systems,a set of activities such as
producing handbooks, training manuals and
conducting regional workshops
United Nations Demographic Yearbook:
A Brief History
• Therefore, the Demographic Yearbook has,
from the beginning, several major functions:
• Collecting, processing and disseminating
population statistics and meta-data for the world
• Initiating substantial programmes for statistical
capacity building at the national level
• Powerful research tool
• Foundation for the analytical work on population
within the United Nations
United Nations Demographic Yearbook:
Today
United Nations Demographic
Yearbook:Ways of Improvement
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The questionnaires:
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Harmonization with international principles
and recommendations:
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Definitions
Classifications
Tabulations
Removing topics
Adding topics
Meta-data
United Nations Demographic
Yearbook:Ways of Improvement
• Response rates
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Format of the questionnaires
On-line filling?
Building the Demographic Yearbook Network
Regional training workshops
Improving national statistical capacities
Use of OCR technologies to capture data
United Nations Demographic
Yearbook:Ways of Improvement
• Dissemination
• Eliminating the time lag between collection and
dissemination
• On-line dissemination
• Regional, custom-made overviews
• Opening the Demographic Yearbook database
to the outside users
United Nations Demographic Yearbook:
Conclusion
• The Demographic Yearbook is a major
reference publication
• Provides national statistics used in
• monitoring population and social phenomena,
• assessing national statistical capacities,
• evaluating methodological approaches and
national practices,
• providing a model for collection and
dissemination of data, to name a few.
United Nations Demographic Yearbook:
Conclusion
• At this moment, a specific Demographic
Yearbook Work Programme 2004-2014 is
being put together, listing activities and
actions needed to improve components of
the system, and this Expert Group Meeting
is the major building block in this process.