Photo credit: UNFPA Bangladesh/Prince Naymuzzaman
In today’s fast-paced world, the demand for high-quality, real-time, and granular data is more critical than ever. Governments rely on data to shape policies, allocate resources and drive progress toward national and global development goals, including the Sustainable Development Goals and the pledge to "Leave No One Behind."
Population and Housing Censuses have long been the cornerstone of national statistical systems, producing comprehensive data essential for national and subnational planning and policymaking. However, traditional census methods, which rely on extensive field operations, are increasingly challenged by rising costs, declining response rates, and unforeseen disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, their frequency (typically every ten years) limits the ability to produce timely statistics necessary for responsive policymaking. To address these challenges, the national statistical offices (NSOs) are exploring innovative approaches with a growing interest in utilizing administrative data—records often generated by government agencies during service delivery.
Leveraging administrative data can increase the frequency and timeliness of statistics, reduce costs, and improve data quality and coverage. However, transitioning to a census approach that incorporates administrative data—whether register-based or a combined method—presents challenges, particularly in developing the necessary institutional and technical capacity required for effective implementation.
Institutional and technical requirements
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to transitioning to a register-based census; however, establishing key institutional and technical capacities is essential for a smooth transition and the production of high-quality statistical outputs.
Institutional capacity is fundamental and includes:
Availability of relevant administrative data sources, including a well-functioning Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system, base registers, i.e. population register and address/building/dwelling register, and supplementary registers like social security, pension, tax, education, student, health, etc. registers.
Political support and legal framework: There should be political support and clear legal mandates facilitating NSO’s access to administrative data at the individual level while ensuring compliance with data privacy and confidentiality regulations.
Effective coordination and collaboration mechanisms are required for the sustainable sharing of data and metadata, as well as ongoing engagement between NSO and relevant administrative data holders (ADHs).
Public support: Public trust is vital. Awareness campaigns, engagement with stakeholders, and transparent communication help address concerns about data privacy and the use of administrative data for census purposes.
ICT infrastructure and skilled human resources: ICT infrastructure should support secure data transfer, storage, processing, and integration of administrative data sources. Moreover, NSO needs personnel with relevant expertise and experience.
In addition to institutional readiness, NSOs must expand their technical expertise beyond what is typically required for traditional approaches. This may include developing expertise and skills in:
Knowledge about relevant administrative data sources in terms of their structure, coverage, updates, limitations, etc., which can be gained through relevant metadata and regular interactions with ADHs.
Data quality management to assess the quality of administrative data sources and identify and address coverage issues (under- and over-coverage), missing data, erroneous values, and inconsistencies.
Addressing interoperability challenges in terms of dealing with differences in concepts, definitions, classifications, formats, reference periods, etc.
Record linkage and statistical matching to integrate data from multiple sources using deterministic and probabilistic methods in either presence or absence of unique identifiers.
Fostering collaboration and partnership in terms of strengthening skills in legal frameworks, negotiation, relationship-building, and communication to support effective cooperation with ADHs.
On the Path to a Register-Based Census
The transition to a fully register-based census, while a goal for many countries, is a medium- to long-term process that may span multiple census cycles. Establishing the necessary institutional and technical capacities demands time, resources, strategic planning, and strong political support. This journey begins with a crucial first step—determining the current situation by assessing a country's readiness to utilize administrative data sources. This assessment is not a one-time exercise but a continuous process essential for monitoring progress, identifying gaps, and guiding improvements along the way.
Moving forward: From assessment to action
To support countries in assessing their readiness, ESCAP has developed the Self-Assessment Tool on Readiness to Use Administrative Data for Census (SATRAC) , officially launched on 20 February 2025. This tool features targeted questions that help countries navigate key institutional and technical requirements to identify areas of strengths, gaps, and shortcomings.
In a transition toward register-based censuses, self-assessment is just the beginning. To truly unlock the potential of administrative data, countries need to translate insights gained from self-assessment into a road map for their smooth transition. Steps should be taken with caution to minimize any disruption in the census-taking, which is one of the most critical data sources for evidence-based decision-making and planning in countries.
Together, we can navigate the complexities of producing high-quality, timely and granular data and build modern statistical systems that are fit for the future.
Explore SATRAC today: https://www.unescap.org/our-work/statistics/social/satrac
To learn more about CRVS systems in the region and relevant initiatives: https://getinthepicture.org/