Sources of demographic data 2019

Sources of demographic
data
Dr. S. A. Rizwan, M.D.
Public Health Specialist
SBPM, Joint Program – Riyadh
Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Learning objectives
Demographic data sources SBPM, Joint Program – Riyadh
• At the end of this lecture you
should be able to
 Enumerate the various sources of
demographic data
 Describe the key features, merits
and demerits of the main sources
 Understand the local context
Dec 2019 2

Outline
Direct methods
• Census
• Vital registration
• Population registers
Indirect methods
• Sample surveys
• Other sources
Dec 2019 3

KSA demographics – 1/6
Demographic data sources SBPM, Joint Program – RiyadhDec 2019 4

Population density in KSA 2010
Persons per sq. km of land
Dec 2019 8

Demographic data sources SBPM, Joint Program – RiyadhDec 2019
Population growth projections Population in top 20 cities, 2019
9

Section 1: Census

History of census
• Ancient (tax/military)
• Babylonians
• Persians
• Greeks, Romans
• Egypt – Palermo stone &
Sneferu
Dec 2019
The Palermo Stone, the fragment of the
Egyptian Royal Annals housed in Palermo,
Italy (2392–2283 BCE)
Large-scale census was taken around 2600
BCE (before Common Era) under the reign
of Sneferu
11

History of census
• Modern type of census
• 1665 - Quebec
• 1703 - Iceland
• 1790 - US
• 1801/1841 - Britain and France –
popularised by the UN post WW2
Dec 2019 12

Definition of census
• “Total process of collecting,
compiling and publishing
demographic, economic and
social data pertaining at a
specified time or times, to all
persons in a country or
delimited territory” - UN
• Latin word - censere ‘assess’
Dec 2019 13

Features of census
• Individual enumeration
• Universality
• Simultaneity
• Defined periodicity
• Precisely defined territory
• Census moment/time
• De facto/de jure
• Canvasser or household method
• Census validation surveys
Dec 2019 14

Uses of census – 1/3
• Basic national population data
• Also
• Trends in population growth
• Change in age and sex structure
• Cause of fertility, mortality,
migration, urbanization
• Religion and ethnic composition
• Analysis of economic development
• Future trends of population growth
• National, local, public and private
planning
Dec 2019 15

• Useful for estimating,
calculating birth and death
rates
• Changes in the national
occupational and
industrial composition
• Levels of literacy and
educational attainments
Dec 2019 16

• Estimating school going
population, military and economic
manpower
• Future growth of cities and
requirement of food, water,
housing and health services
• Revolutionary expansion of
economic, sociological and
demographic knowledge
Dec 2019 17

Information to collect

Example of a census form

Errors in census
• Content errors
• Misreporting
• Age heaping
• Coverage errors
• How to evaluate errors?
• post-enumeration surveys
• data validation
• comparison with secondary
data sources
Dec 2019 20

Census in KSA
• Conducted in 1974, 1992, 2004 and 2010
• Latest: Population and Housing 2010*
• General Authority of Statistics, Ministry of
Economics and Planning*
• https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/13
• The five stages of Saudi statistical work and
associated royal decrees*
• https://www.stats.gov.sa/en/%D8%B5%D9%81%D8%AD%D
8%A9/statistical-sector
Dec 2019 21

Household information in KSA census
1. Main source of drinking water
2. Main fuel used for cooking
3. Main source of light
4. Toilet facility
5. Household conveniences
6. Whether any death in the household
7. Information on the diseased person(s)
8. Sex, age, date, and cause
9. Level of education
10. Whether currently attending any school
11. Marital status
12. Age at first marriage
13. No. of children ever born alive
14. Any live births during last 12 months
15. Work usually done during the last 12m
16. No. of months worked during the last 12m
17. Occupation (type of usual work)
18. Industry (place of usual work)
19. Employment Status
20. Reasons for usually not working
21. Living arrangements of children below 16y
Dec 2019 22

Individual information in KSA census
1. Serial number of household member
2. Full name and sex of the household
member
3. Age
4. Place of birth
5. Duration of stay at the present place
6. Reason for staying in this district
7. Residence five years ago
8. Whether able to read and write
Dec 2019 23

Merits and demerits of census
• Complete data
• High level of accuracy
• Useful for a variety of
planning purposes
• Frame of reference for
surveys
• Costly & Time consuming
• Data quality issues (e.g. age)
• Inadequate experienced staff
• Public support issues
• Limited data compared to surveys
• Under-enumeration of vulnerable group
Dec 2019 24

Public awareness campaigns

Section 2:
Vital registration

History of vital registration
• 14th century - Parish registers in churches
in Europe
• Household and individual records in
China from 1750 forward
• 19th, 20th centuries - civil or state
registration established
• Mid-eighteenth century - Scandinavian
countries had a continuous system of
registering births, deaths and marriages
• 1837 - Civil registration system in England
and Wales
• 1854 – Scotland
Dec 2019 28

Definition of vital registration
• Defined as the continuous, permanent,
compulsory and universal recording of
the occurrence and characteristics of
vital events
• A major source of demographic data
• Aka civil registration or vital statistics
• First and foremost - legal documents
provided by the law
Dec 2019 29

Features of vital registration
• Universal coverage
• Continuity
• Confidentiality
• Regular dissemination
• Sample registration
system*
• Cause of Death*
• Verbal Autopsy*
Dec 2019 30

Information in VR
• Countries with developed
VR are able to produce
periodic reports on vital
demographic events
• Migrations
• Deaths
• Births
• Marriages
• Divorces
• Adoptions
Dec 2019 31

Merits and demerits of VR
• Continous data supply
• Complementary to census
• Satisfies legal and statistical
requirements
• Verification of census
• Inaccuracies
• Incomplete data
• Poor coverage in
developing countries
• Breach of confidentiality
• Lack of public support
unless legally required
Dec 2019 32

VR in KSA
• Ministry of interior, civil
affairs*
Dec 2019 33

Section 3:
Sample surveys

Introduction
• Household sample surveys
provide a cheaper alternative to
censuses for timely data and a
more relevant and convenient
alternative to administrative
record systems
Dec 2019 35

Information in sample survey
• Socio-demographic characteristics
• Conditions of living
• Well-being
• Peoples’ activities
• Demographic characteristics
• Cultural factors which influence
behavior
• Social and economic change
• Sometimes, fringe topics such as
criminal victimization, domestic
violence
Dec 2019 36

Feautres of sample surveys – 1/2
• Conducted in stages
• Select the study households efficiently
• Stratified, spread over geographic
sub-areas and population sub-groups
• Clusters of study households in order
to reduce costs
• Optimally balanced sample size
Dec 2019 37

Feautres of sample surveys – 2/2
• Most flexible data collection method
• Can investigate almost every
demographic variable
• Key source of data on special
phenomenon, that are not given by
census and VR
• Surveys provide a basis for updating
some census information
Dec 2019 38

Examples of sample surveys
• DHS program* – USAID
• Developing countries
• https://www.dhsprogram.com/
• World fertility surveys*
Dec 2019 39

Merits and demerits of surveys
• Flexible method
• Lower cost
• Better quality statistical
information
• More feasible to engage better
enumerators
• Cannot replace complete counts
• Sample surveys and census
complementary to each other
• Lower statistical precision
compared to census
• Possibility of errors if poorly
conducted, false reporting
Dec 2019 40

Sample surveys in KSA – 1/4
Earliest ones
• 1991 – The Saudi Arabia Child
Health Survey
• 1993 – Reproductive Pattern and
Child Survival
• 1996 – Saudia Arabia Health
Survey
Dec 2019 41

• Statistical Yearbook*
• Methodology of the yearbook*
• https://www.stats.gov.sa/sites/default/files/uploads/
methodology_of_statistical_book_2018en.pdf
Dec 2019 42

• Demographic survey*
• Family health survey*
• Population estimates*
Dec 2019 43

• Economic surveys
• Labour surveys
• Household expenses surveys
Dec 2019 44

Section 3:
Other sources

Population registers
• Details about each individual are
continuously recorded.
• Scandinavian countries and some
other European countries
• Very good account of the
contribution of migration in
population change
• Disadvantages - infringement on
individual liberty
Dec 2019 46

International organisations – 1/2
• UN
• https://population.un.org/wpp/Graphs/DemographicProfiles/
• Demographic Year Book
• Population and Vital Statistics Report
quarterly
• Human Development Report*
• World bank*
• https://data.worldbank.org/country/saudi-arabia
• World Development Report
• WHO – Annual World Health Statistics*
Dec 2019 47

International organisations – 2/2
• UNESCO - Statistical Year Book,
education, literacy, school attendance
• FAO - Production Year Book
• ILO - Labor Statistics Year Book
• CIA – World Fact Book*
• Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD)
• Eurostat
• United States Census Bureau
International Data Base
• Human Mortality Database
Dec 2019 48

Local/national organisations
• Social security schemes like
unemployment allowance, old age
pension, maternity allowance
• Insurance companies
• Electoral lists
• Telephone subscribe’s list
• Tax payers’ list
Dec 2019 49

Other types of data in KSA
• Statistics of government services
• Hajj Statistics*
• And many more by GASTAT*
Dec 2019 50

Commercial/Private agencies
• Commonly government agencies are
involved in generating demographic data
• But private agencies also provide such data
for market research purposes
• https://www.euromonitor.com/saudi-arabia-in-2030-the-
future-demographic/report*
• https://www.globalmediainsight.com/blog/saudi-arabia-
population-statistics-2018/
• http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/saudi-
arabia-population/
• https://knoema.com/atlas/Saudi-Arabia
• https://www.esri.com/data/esri_data
Dec 2019 51

Purchasing power map

Section 4:
Local context

Challenges for KSA
• Environmental factors – high temperature,
house-to-house survey
• Desert environment
• Mobile/nomadic population
• Public acceptance for surveys
• Importance given to privacy
• High turnover of expat population
• Illegal immigrants
• Census not conducted periodically
• Lack of experienced people
• Cultural factors – male/female
Dec 2019 54

Take home messages
• Census is the most important and
comprehensive source of demographic
data
• Vital registration systems and surveys
are complementary to census
• All sources are essential for
administration and research
• You don’t ‘count’ if you don’t get
‘counted’
Dec 2019 55

Thank you!
Email your queries to sarizwan1986@outlook.com
Thanks a ‘7.746 billion’!
Email your queries to rabdulkader@moh.gov.sa
Dec 2019 56

Sources of demographic data 2019

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